Divergence
by Shadow Master
Summary: BtVSStar Wars It was a night of chaos and change when Glory attempted to use DawnThe Key to tear down the barriers between dimensions. Amidst such chaos unpredictable things can happen both here and in a galaxy far, far away.
1. Default Chapter

"Divergence" By Shadow Master AKA Shadow Master

email : : This is to make it clear to all who read this that I do not own in any way shape or form the characters from BtVS or the Star Wars Universe. I am making no profit off of this fanfic and have no intention of charging readers in the future whatsoever (no matter how profitable it might be!). This is completely for my own enjoyment and the enjoyment of other fan fiction readers. So please do not send anyone to my door to collect on anything because they wouldn't get anything.

Note : Well it's official, I have been bitten by the BtVS crossover bug and cannot stop the numerous X-over ideas from coming forth nor my compulsion to write them. I know I might be biting off more than I can chew but I have received such a good response from readers with the other new crossover fanfics I have written centered around Xander that I'm going to try to add one more to the mix. Please keep in mind though that this will make about five separate new stories that I have up so there may be some delay in new chapters. It is not that I have forgotten about any of the fanfics but rather than I am trying to work on other fanfics that have fewer chapters posted or I have an easier time writing one of them then another. I fully intend to complete all of them but I must ask you to be patient. Thank you! Now dim the lights, put the bowl of popcorn in your lap and someone please cue the intro music……….

Divergence 

IT IS A TIME OF TURMOIL FOR THE SCOOBY GANG AS THEY ARE CONFRONTED BY AN ADVERSARY UNLIKE ANYTHING THEY HAVE EVER FACED BEFORE. GLORIFICUS OR GLORY AS SHE PREFERS TO BE CALLED HAS SEARCHED RELENTLESSLY FOR THE PAST FEW MONTHS FOR A MYSTICAL ITEM CALLED 'THE KEY'. WITH IT SHE HOPES TO BE ABLE TO RETURN HOME TO RECLAIM HER POSITION OF POWER FROM HER YOUNGER BROTHERS.

HOWEVER IN AN ATTEMPT TO KEEP THIS SOURCE OF POWER FROM THE FORMER HELL-GODDESS A GROUP OF MONKS MADE A DESPARATE CHOICE. UNABLE TO KEEP THE KEY SAFE THEMSELVES THEY CAST A SPELL TO SEND IT TO THE ONE PERSON WHO MIGHT BE ABLE TO KEEP IT SAFE, THE SLAYER. USING HER OWN BLOOD THE MONKS TRANSFORMED THE SPHERE OF ENERGY THAT WAS THE KEY INTO BUFFY'S LITTLE SISTER DAWN. ALONG WITH THIS CHANGE IN FORM THE MEMORIES OF ALL WITH A CONNECTION TO THE SUMMERS FAMILY WERE CHANGE IN ORDER TO MAKE IT SEEM AS THOUGH SHE HAD ALWAYS BEEN THERE.

FOR MONTHS THE TWO SIDES STRUGGLED WITH EACH OTHER WITH THE SCOOBY GANG ONLY BARELY BEING ABLE TO KEEP GLORY FROM SUCCEEDING. NOW THOUGH THE TIME FOR RUNNING AND HIDING IS OVER AS THE FORMER HELL GODDESS NOW HAS WHAT SHE SEEKS. WITH LITTLE TIME TO SPARE THE SCOOBY GANG RUSHS TO FOLLOW AN MIND ADDLED TARA AS SHE SEEKS OUT THE CALL TO WORK SENT BY THE MINIONS OF GLORY. THEY MUST NOT FAIL IN THIS FINAL CONFRONTATION FOR IF THEY DO THE BARRIERS BETWEEN DIMENSIONS WILL BE DESTROYED AND ALL THEY KNOW WILL COME TO AN END.

_ I hope that Dawnie can hold out until we get there._ Xander thought to himself as he trotted along with the rest of the gang after an insane Tara.

Things were coming to a head and he was not certain what it would mean one way or another if they should win or if they should fail. On one end of the scale was the young woman who despite the fact that she had been manufactured to be the sister of Buffy Summers was close and dear to all of them. On the other end was the safety of not only the people of Sunnydale but the entire world if Glory should be able to enact her plan to bring the barriers between dimensions down around their ears. It was because of this difficult balancing act that they were all moving as fast as they could after Tara in the hopes that they would be in time to save the world yet again. It was getting to be almost routine the way they beat back the baddies again and again the same way most people go to work and come home every day. It was routine almost to the point of being second nature and if all went according to plan they would be partying at the Bronze the very next day.

He took a look around to try ald make a guess at their eventual destination but the only thing that he could tell for certain uas that they wepe somewhere in the industrial sector now. Other than that he had no clue as to uhere they were or where they were heading at the moment but he just wished that they would get there so they could get this over with. The waiting, the tenseness of it all, was driving him nuts and he was pretty sure that it was getting to the others as well. Buffy certainly hadn't made it any easier for them with her pronouncement as to what would happen to anyone that tried to kill Dawn in order to shut the ritual down. It wasn't that there was anyone all too eager to do it in fact he wasn't sure than he himself would be capable of doing it if the deed fell to him to do. The little woman had earned a place in his heart whether that was due to manufactured memories or just because she was who she was where it mattered. Still how could he sacrifice countless other innocents the world over to the chaos that would no doubt erupt if the portal should open or remain open too long. Giles hadn't gone into too great an amount of detail as to what exactly would happen when the barriers came down but it was easy for his imagination to fill in the blanks on its own. It was times like these he really wish he could look at things logically like a Vulcan and believe it when some one said 'the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one.'.

_Unfortunately things are never that easy._ He thought to himself as they turned a corner and what he saw caused him to stop in his tracks for a moment.

It was in a vacant lot where the town of Sunnydale stored all their raw materials, construction equipment and other things they would need for basic city maintenance. In the center though was a tall tower that looked like it had been put together in great haste as it was clear that it was thrown together by the sight of the mismatched parts and pieces. He had been in the construction business long enough that he was getting a feeling or intuition for what was good work and what was bad work. He could tell just from looking at the tower that it was either done by idiots or done by professionals who didn't intend for the structure to stick around long. He shook his head to get his head back into the game he was glad that the others were also a bit dumbfounded by the sight but no less ready to get the show on the road. He watched as Willow fed instructions into the Buffy 'bot via a cable link up hidden beneath the hair and then double checked his own gear to make sure that he wasn't caught unprepared when things got busy. The plan was to send the Buffy 'bot ahead to both distract Glory and soften her up for when the real Buffy would come in the orb that seemed to have an adverse effect on the ex-hell goddess. From there it would pretty much be keep the minions off of Buffy so that she could focus on getting to Dawn and squishing Glory with the troll hammer she was packing.

_Good plan in theory but then again since when have any of our plans ever worked out the way we wanted them to! _He thought to himself as he watched Willow disconnect her laptop from the robot and press some kind of activation button as a few moments later it toddled on off towards the tower just like they planned.

Shaking his head and sending a silent prayer to whomever might be listening as well as perhaps being sympathetic to their side that they would win just one more time.

**_Twenty Minutes Later, Inside the Construction Zone _**

Battle well under way 

"The glorified bricklayer picks up a spare!" Xander crowed as he looked through the hole in the wall he had made to where Glory had landed after being hit with the wrecking ball.

Hopefully that would make things a bit easier for Buffy and give her the opening she would need to make a break for Dawn who apparently was at the top of the tower. As for him it was time to rejoin the rest of the gang in harassing the moronic minions so as to keep their attention where it would do them the least good and the Slayer the most good. Unfortunately though it seemed as though the minions of Glory and the insane folk had forced the gang into a tactical withdrawl. Giles, Spike and Anya were hiding behind a portable generator while Willow and Tara were reasonably safe hiding behind some left over building materials. Not the good situation that he had been hoping for when he had slammed that wrecking ball right into Glory but given that they were going up against someone who could survive having a semi hit her it was respectable.

"How we doin'?" he asked as he joined with Anya's group while keeping an eye on the enemy to make sure one of them didn't get overly ambitious with a knife.

"So far it's a tie." Anya replied while keeping a firm grip on the baseball bat in her hands.

"We haven't gotten up to Dawn but neither has anyone else." Giles said as he seemed a little short of breath.

Not that Giles was out of shape or anything but rather that his lifestyle wasn't tuned properly to make him ready for such an intense battle. Watchers by their very nature were only meant to engage in battle when it was absolutely necessary in order to protect the Slayer or ensure the safety of the world. For the most part they were the brains of the operation whereas the Slayer was the brawn which meant the only muscle they were meant to keep in prime condition was their brain. Still Giles was pretty above average in the fighting shape department as he had taken a more active role in the slayage than most other Watchers. Still he would have to stick close to the Watcher the next time they made a rush for the minions just to play it on the safe side.

"Somebody's up there." Spike said as his keen vampire eyes spotted movement atop the tower other than the visible struggling of Dawn.

Not liking the vampire but unable to refute the sounds that were coming from the top of the tower.

"Okay we gotta charge or something." He said as his mind began to sift through various scenarios that might get them past the goons and up the tower.

"We tried that already." Anya said as if implying that it was stupid to even try it.

Shooting her brief look of annoyance at her pessimism he almost missed Spike looking about like a loon.

A moment later the vamp's insanity was confirmed as he said "Yeah .. loud and clear."

He seemed to listen to something for a moment before saying "Yeah, can't tell who."

"Are you talking to us?" Xander asked with doubts as to the undead idiot's sanity came further into doubt.

"Yeah but .." Spike tried to say but was cut off by whomever was on the other end of the conversation.

Then without further adieu he charged the group of people loyal in one way or another to Glory and it was right then that the Zeppo thought that peroxide boy had completely lost it. However just as the vamp was about to enter striking distance of the crowd they parted before him like Moses parting the red sea clearing a path for him to begin climbing the tower. It only took him a moment to realize that Willow must have been speaking to Spike telepathically or something and then telekinetically shoved Glory's minions aside. He just hoped that chip-boy didn't screw up because there was no guarantee that Willow and the newly sane Tara would be able to pull something like that off again. That was probably why the rest of them were still cowering behind the portable generator instead of trying to follow Spike up the staircase.

Looking over to where Buffy was still trading punches with Glory he was glad to see that the hell bitch wasn't completely invulnerable. Blood was trickling down from her nose and it looked like Buffy was all too willing to add to that crimson mess covering the lower half of the bottle blonde's face. He winced again and again as Buffy continued to pound and wail away with the troll hammer. Not that she didn't deserve every single bone crushing blow but still it was painful to watch as Buffy didn't seem to be going for the quick kill but rather she was going for the pain. His attention however was quickly refocused as he heard Dawn scream in fear and pain and when he looked up the only thing he could make out was the sight of Spike being thrown off the tower and falling hard to the ground below. Looking back up at the top her couldn't help but wonder what exactly could be strong enough to one up the killer of two Slayers as well as wondering if he should chance it and go up as the substitute Slayer. Looking over to Buffy he was just in time to see her deliver a series of crushing blows with the hammer and then his mind went kinda wonky. When his senses returned though he saw Ben from the hospital take the place of the ex-hell goddess and shook his head in disbelief at how a guy and a girl could be sharing the same body like that. A few words were exchanged between them but he was too far away to hear them clearly but he presumed that Buffy was making a few promises of a painful death if either Glory or Ben came anywhere near Dawn.

_If that doesn't convince the hell bitch to stay away nothing will._ Xander thought to himself as Buffy took off for the stairs to the top of the tower.

As he was looking at the Slayer disappearing from sight behind the mish mash of metal sheeting and pipes it was movement at his side that notified him of Giles leaving his position by his and Anya's side. He wondered for a moment where the former Watcher was going but found his question quickly answered as it became obvious he was approaching Ben. Kneeling down at the side of the badly injured host for a hell goddess Xander presumed that the former tweed wearing man was adding his own Ripper like promises of death and misery. What he witnessed however was something that reminded him that while Giles was normally an honest and honorable person he had a dark side to himself that he worked hard to keep at bay. He looked away as Rupert covered Ben's mouth and pinched his nose shut not wanting to taint the image he had of Giles as a surrogate father. He wasn't blind to the fact that it wasn't just demons that could be called truly evil and he knew that some of them deserved to die but it was one thing to agree with the death penalty it was another to actually perform the deed yourself. He even kinda felt sorry for Ben as he doubted the guy had any say in the matter when he got saddled with Glorificus. To actually live with someone else inside your body and take it over at random moments must have been bad enough without coming to wearing a dress and female under garments. She must have played hell with his social life if not his career in medicine but no matter how much he might sympathize with the man killing him was the only way to stop Glory for good.

As he began to walk over to Giles to offer his support and reassurance that he had done the right thing he was momentarily blinded as a bright light filled the sky. Looking up a cold ball of fear manifested in the core of his being as he saw what seemed to be a rapidly growing storm cloud of energy. He had little time to take stock of everything as less than a second after he noticed the light cloud the ground began to shake like the 'Big One' that seismologists were always predicting would hit the west coast. Accompanying this, as if a storm cloud of light and an earthquake wasn't bad enough, bolts of lightning seemed to leak out of the sides of the light cloud like a container that unable to contain what lay within. He could only imagine what was happening where the bolts touched down, picture demons suddenly appearing and buildings suddenly warping into horribly distorted forms. It was then he realized that no description could do justice to the reality of seeing a dimension slowly come unraveled and beings that belonged in the darkest nightmare appearing right before your eyes.

Looking at Anya he knew that this could very well be all she wrote as far as their lives were concerned and if that was the case then he'd be damned if he left anything unsaid. Walking toward her he was so focused on his love at he failed to see what was happening above and behind him at that very moment. The only warning he had was the look of sheer horror on Anya's face and the beginnings of her charging towards him before his being was infused with a butt-load of pain. For the others it seemed like one minute he was there and the next minute he was gone, like a blinking light coming into existence for only a moment then vanishing as quickly as it appeared. For him though it seemed like an eternity of pain as he felt his entire nervous system become charged with the otherworldly energy of the Key that made up Dawn's blood. It was so overwhelming that he was completely unable to form a coherent thought even though if he could it would probably consist of farewells to his friends and a declaration of love for Anya.

However those thoughts would forever be unknown to his friends and lover for with a wink of light he vanished from sight leaving them in pain. This pain would be compounded by the loss of their friend and protector Buffy Anne Summers for she would sacrifice her own life to ensure that the only family she had left, Dawn, would have a future. It was on this night that the heart and soul of the Scooby gang vanished from the world in which they were born leaving their friends to search for a way to continue on. Giles would end up choosing to stay in Sunnydale to care for Dawn, Willow and Tara in their grief rather than retreat to his homeland of Great Britain. Dawn would decide to take up the position of leader in what remained of the Scooby gang and while one hallowed night they would succeed in resurrecting Buffy Summers Xander would remain forever lost. For while it was possible to recall a soul from the ether of the spirit world it was virtually impossible to find the dimension that their dear friend had been transported to when the energy bolt hit him. Willow would try for years to find a way to bring him back but eventually even she was forced to admit that he was beyond even her ability to save. In his memory though she made it a point to visit his gravesite every year on the anniversary of his death no matter what important matter might have come up whether it be business or a personal matter.

On his tombstone it was written:

**_Alexander LaVelle Harris_**

**_1981 – 2001_**

****

**_Devoted friend_**

**_Caring Man_**

****

Forever a White Knight Defending the Innocent 

**__**

It would be in his memory that his friends would continue the fight and with him in mind that they would eventually defeat The First. However this was not the end of this man, not the end of his story, for him things were only beginning to take the shape he desired.

**_A Galaxy Far, Far Away_**

The Galactic Republic, Corusant, Jedi Temple, Main Council Chambers 

"Anything further to discuss is there?" asked the Jedi Master Yoda as he looked about the room at the other members of the Senior Jedi Council.

It had been a meeting of quiet importance as aside from the usual day to day handling of Jedi affairs the topic of the re-emergence of the Sith had come under close scrutiny once again. It had been roughly five years since the Trade Federation had attempted to seize control of the planet Naboo aided apparently by Sith warrior of the Zabrak species. The main point that caused the most concern was determining whether the Sith had been the Master or the apprentice as it was a given that there was indeed two of them. It had been a matter than troubled them all for not since the time of Darth Malak had the Sith been so visible to Jedi and Republic citizen alike. For untold centuries those that had devoted themselves to the Dark Side of the Force had been little more than a fable used to scare little children and warn Padawans against following that path. While it was true that there had been scattered reports over the years of warriors wielding crimson lightsabres dressed all in black they never lasted long. Now though it seemed that a new power was on the rise that threatened to turn a centuries old fable into cold hard reality and only by determining the source could the Jedi Order hope to maintain peace and order.

"No I believe that concludes our business for the day." Replied Mace Windu as he gathered his robes around him in preparation to leave.

No sooner did he rise to his feet though then a tremor shot through the Force with such strength that at once every member of the High Council stood at attention and sought out the source of the disturbance. They had not long to wait as without warning a tiny speck of light appeared two feet down from the roof and while at the beginning it was no bigger than a marble it was growing quickly. The members of the council were at a loss to identify this phenomena and all they could tell for certain was that it was causing violent ripples in the Force. These ripples grew more and more powerful in direct proportion to the size of the cloud of energy as it continued to expand outward. For a moment it seemed as though it would engulf the entire room but just as Master Windu was about to suggest evacuating it slowed to a stop. With their safety no longer a concern the Jedi Masters and members of the High Council of the Jedi resumed trying to discern what it was and how it came to be.

"What do you think it is?" Ki-Adi-Mundi asked to no one in particular but nonetheless hoping for an answer from someone.

"Some kind of energy disturbance obviously but how did it form?" Depa Billaba asked as she began to move around the perimeter of the room to examine the disturbance from all sides.

"More importantly why does it cause such a violent reaction within the Force?" Plo Koon asked with some visible concern in his voice.

Before any other members of the High Council of the Jedi Order could comment on the spectacle that continued to pulsate and flash above them a column of lightning suddenly and violently shot down from it striking the floor below almost punching a hole to the floor directly below the council chambers. However unlike most bolts of lightning who appear only for the briefest of instants before vanishing into nothingness this bolt of energy remained as it was neither progressing down into the floor nor retreating. It was as if it had established a connection to this place and time rendering it incapable of passing on as its nature demanded. As the moments continued to pass though the first clue they were to receive as to the how and the why appeared as within the column of energy a form began to manifest within. It was barely perceivable at first, no more than a faded shadow being held against the whiteness of the energy that surrounded it and not a consistent shadow in the beginning as it randomly flickered out before reappearing. Slowly but surely it became more solid and as it did each member of the High Council could sense that whatever it else it was it was most certainly alive.

"Natural it is not. In conflict with the force it is." Master Yoda said before he closed his eyes in an attempt to learn more by probing it with the Force.

"Could it be some method of transport? A form of matter/energy conversion?" Master Galia suggested as a possible explanation.

"Unlikely. Republic scientists have been experimenting with teleportation for years without reliable results." Master Windu said shaking his head in the negative as all he knew of science told him teleportation was impossible.

"Whether teleportation is possible or not is irrelevant at the moment." , Master Koon stated as he seemed transfixed by the form that was gradually gaining substance, "What does matter is that there is a living being taking form within this column of energy and what we should do should it remain after the disturbance has passed."

"That may not be an issue for much longer Master Koon." , Master Galia said as she walked into a close proximity with the column of energy, "I sense the life energy of the being beginning to diminish. If we do not do something soon it will perish shortly."

To this bit of information a complex problem of why and how seemed less important than their duties as Jedi and their commitment to the protection of life. It was Master Yoda who took the first step as he took the energy and concentration he had been putting into learning the nature of the phenomena and diverted it elsewhere. He knew he could not take control of the energy in front of him but he was fairly certain that he could attempt to bring order to the chaotic flow of energy that the disturbance consisted of. If order could be achieved then perhaps the column of energy could complete the materialization of the figure within the column before the spirit returned to the Force. He was aware if Master Galia being the second among the High Council to join him the preservation of this being as she seemed to be trying to contact the being itself. Her purpose perhaps was to try an discern if the being knew anything about the phenomena it was engulfed in so that they all would have a better idea of what to do to help.

However her involvement was apparently exactly what the phenomena was waiting for as without warning and acting faster than the two Masters could react energy from the column shot out and struck them both dead center. While they were not engulfed by the energy like the entity was bolts of stray energy did cross-cross their bodies and no matter how hard they willed it to be they could not move from where they stood. The remaining members of the High Council tried to free them either by physically moving them away from the pillar of light or by using the Force to sever the connection. Some were even prepared to ignite their lightsabers and use them to cut the connection but fortunately it did not come to that for five minutes after Yoda and Galia had been struck the bolts vanished. Whether it be due to the efforts of their fellows or because the energy itself had decided to release them they were now free and apparently only mildly disoriented from the experience. The column of energy itself though was another matter as it seemed to be affected a great deal by the temporary interface with two Jedi Masters.

The earlier chaos that seemed to govern its existence was gone as if all it had needed to do its job was the input of two appropriate individuals. Where before it seemed to be struggling to complete its task it now pulsed with a purpose with a being taking shape within it showing no signs of falling apart as it had beforehand. It pulsed with purpose three times, each time the light being given off was brighter than the previous pulse, before finishing with a blast of light that forced all present to look away. When the light finally faded it took each member of the council a different amount of time to recover their sight but when they did they saw something that none could have foreseen. Laying on the floor where the column of energy had hit was a male of a species none of them could quite recognize but that possessed traits that were all too familiar. It seemed to primarily be human in appearance as far as the main body and number of limbs was concerned. However sitting on either side of his head were two pointed ears each as long as your average person's hand from the heel to the tip of the middle finger. His hair was a weird combination of brown and white with the former being located primarily at the tips whereas the latter seemed to stay near the roots. It was as if the phenomena had taken a sample of Master Yoda and Master Galia's DNA and merged it with the form that had already been within the column of light. In any case though this was one conclusion to a meeting of the Jedi Order's High Council that none of them was going to forget for a long time.

Jedi Temple, Corusant, Infirmery, Twelve Hours Later 

_One of these days I really have to learn to freakin' move when something not of the good heads my way!_ Was the first thought to enter Xander's head as he began to regain consciousness.

As his senses came back to him so too did the memories of what happened before losing consciousness which made him hope that nothing bad had happened to gang while he was out. He knew that Giles and the others were probably alright as most of Glory's minions had scattered upon the former hell-goddess' death but that left the core of the Scooby group for him to worry about. He knew that Buffy would have reached Dawn just as or soon after the storm of dimensional energy began which would leave her with a choice that would wind up costing her either way. That choice that she would be forced to make made him curse a lot of people from the monks who saddled her with the Key to begin with to Glory for being so selfish so as to be willing to destroy one world to return to her own. He didn't regret knowing Dawnie at all and considered her a little sister but if the Monks that made her wanted to keep her safe they could have just handed them a mystical container and told them to keep it safe. Why did they have to give it human form and give the rest of the gang fake memories to make sure that they'd protect it? It would have been easier for them emotionally if they just had to protect and take care of a thing or an object. When it came to protecting something alive and even more so if it was sentient there was a boat load of emotional baggage that came along with it. He could only imagine the pain that Buffy had been forced to go through when it came down to choosing between the world and the only real family she had left.

_Well look at it this way Xan-Man! If she chose Dawn then chances are they would have been killed within the hour so she wouldn't suffer for very long!_ , Xander thought with some levity in order to improve his mood, _If she chose the world though then at least she'd have him and the rest of the gang to help her through her pain and hopefully keep the part of her that made Buffy who she was from being destroyed._

As more of his senses came back to him he waited to hear the predictable pinging of the hospital machines and the distant sounds of the hospital intercom. It was a little embarrassing to that he had spent enough time in the hospital to know the various sights and sounds off by heart but that was what you got fighting the forces of evil. However as minute after minute passed by none of the sounds he had been expecting made themselves known. Instead all he heard was a muffled series of sounds that while he couldn't make them out weren't exactly threatening either but it still left him puzzled. Puzzled went straight up to scared and confused though as his sense of touch informed him of yet another thing that did not match up with what he was expecting. Instead of the warm but uncomfortable bed sheets of a hospital bed he felt as though he was immersed in water but whatever the liquid was that he was in was much thicker than H2O. About the only thing that seemed even remotely familiar was the feeling of suction cup life sign monitors and hospital issue boxers. All this together made his decidedly uneasy and so he tried to open his eyes and see where the hell he was and hope that he was in a better situation than the one that his imagination.

What he saw though did not improve his state of inner turmoil but rather actually caused it to get worse with every passing moment. He was indeed submerged in some kind of liquid and that liquid was kept contained in a transparent class tube not much bigger than a hula-hoop in diameter. What was freaking him out though was the fact that on the outside of the tank was an assortment of beings that he had never before seen anything like outside of a Sci-Fi movie. On the one hand there seem to be robots of various shapes and sizes arrayed all around the room with one of them apparently operating the controls of the tank he was in. The other group of beings were a combination of demons he had never seen before and humans dressed in weird white and brown robes that made them look like they belonged in a monastery. Add to that the fact that the technology that was arrayed about the room was definitely not of Earthly origin and that meant only one of two things. Either he had been sent to another dimension that looked like it came straight out of Star Trek or he had gone completely insane and was coming up with all of this himself. Neither possibility was of the good which meant that sticking around here was not at the top of his list much less any sane person's either. Looking around for an exit he was surprised to find that there was to cover on the top of the tank at all but far be it for him to look this gift horse in the mouth. Using his legs he pushed off of the bottom of the tank and reached for the top edge of it using the momentum to help pull himself out.

"ijugy fye hu cue buct." came a mechanized voice from the robot that had been operating the tank but it was speaking in some language that he didn't understand one bit.

Not that he was all that interested in anything they had to say at the moment as he hastily removed all of the suction cups and wires from his body before jumping from the top of the tank to the floor. He landed a bit unsteadily as it seemed that his body still hadn't completely bounced back from the trip here but as soon as he regained his footing he made a break for what he hoped was the exit. He had made it about half way before a tray of medical tools that seemed to be floating in mid-air of its own volition shifted right into his path blocking him. He tried to move around it but it acted as though it had a mind of its own as it anticipated and blocked every one of his attempts to get past it. Hearing footsteps behind him he turned and saw a few of the humans in monk outfits approaching him cautiously with their hands up to grab him. Knowing that his capture was imminent if he didn't move he grabbed the tray and tossed it at them while running for the door at the same time. He had no idea of where he could go in a dimension he knew nothing about but he intended to cross that bridge when he came to it. For the moment all he wanted was to put as much distance between him and those mad scientists as possible with finding some decent clothes coming in a close second.

In keeping with the Sci-Fi motif that seemed to be the theme of this hell dimension the doors opened automatically as soon as he came within range which was really handy since he didn't want his escape to be thwarted by not knowing where the doorknob was located. When he entered the hallway outside the high ceilings and floors made of stone reinforced that he was in some kind of temple. That kinda clashed with what he knew of how things went between religion and science since they kinda came into conflict when answering such questions as to how the universe came to be. Still who knew how these particular demons thought or whether they bothered to split the two distinct areas of contemplation up or not. In any case so long as their god or goddess didn't make an appearance directly in his path he couldn't care less. Going with his right handed instincts he turned right and hoped that he could find a way to get outside and then hopefully to a forest or something to hide in until he could come up with a better plan.

Unfortunately for him he had made no more than three turns down separate hallways before a sound that could only be an alarm sounded loudly all around him. Obviously the demons in the room he had woken up in had decided that they couldn't find him on their own and decided to get the entire temple after him. Which meant he had to make himself scarce from the hallways since it would be pretty hard to miss a guy running around in boxer shorts and nothing else. Looking to other side of the hallway he was currently in he spotted only one door nearby that he could get to before someone would likely come running around the corner and spot him. However Mr. Murphy decided to throw one more hurdle his way as this door did not open automatically like the other one had as he learned painfully as he ran into it. Fortunately all he had to show for it was a sore nose and not a sore nose as well as a sore rear end but it still left him with something of a problem. Looking for a door knob or something to open the door with all he found was some kind of a key pad and cursed his luck as it would probably require some kind of password or key code to open. For all of one moment he contemplated experimenting with certain combinations of buttons but chances are this place was rigged so that if someone typed the wrong code in three times in a row an alarm would sound. With that in mind he reached out to try and pry the cover off of the key pad and hot wire it open but the moment his hands came into view all thought of that went straight out the window as instead of the pinky skin of a human a dusty dark green hand with claws came into view.

"What the fuckin' **hell**!" he yelled out loud before clamping down on his mouth and looking around to see if anyone had heard that ill timed exclamation.

In any case he decided he would have to figure out what the hell had happened to him later because right then and there he had to get out of sight. Hopefully this was some kind of janitor's closet or a storage room or something that he could hide in until the heat went down a bit and they stopped looking for him. Then he could go about learned just what they had wound up doing to him in that god forsaken tank that he had woken up in. When he had successfully managed to pull the cover off he was happy to see wires and circuit boards inside and not some kind of information crystal or plastic computer chips. While he wasn't exactly an expert when it came to wiring the places he had helped to build with the construction company he still had managed to pick up a few things from the guys. So while a few wrong choices resulted in some painful shocks he eventually succeeded in getting the door open and without any hesitation he charged in as he heard foot steps coming from the direction of the room he had been in. In the days and weeks to follow he would keep in mind that it was generally unsafe to charge into a room whose contents you knew nothing of.

Unsafe and embarrassing.

For no sooner did he enter the room and the door close behind him than he found himself in a room that was distinctly not a broom closet or supply room. Not unless the local female population got changed into their workout clothes in broom closets or supply rooms. In any case there he was standing in a pair of boxers frozen to the spot looking at a group of females, some human and some of other species, in various states of undress who were likewise looking at him with a variety of looks. For a moment, as a male and admirer of the female body, he looked them over appreciative of the fact that they seemed to be in quite good shape from what he could see. However his common sense, modesty and the fact that females tended to react violently when a man sees them as they were now encouraged him to turn right around and exit the room to look for a new sanctuary. Not before he grabbed a brown bathrobe that he saw hanging on a nearby hook and threw it over himself as he exited the room and hung a left hoping that he could get out of sight before whom ever he had heard coming from the opposite end arrived.

With a little more in the way of clothing he felt a little more comfortable wandering aimlessly around the temple he was in but he doubted he was going to get over the scene he had walked in on a few moments before anytime soon. Not that he hadn't daydreamed about seeing what went on inside of the girl's locker room back in high school but he would like to think that he had matured a bit since then. Besides his past bad luck with women, with the exception of Buffy and Willow, had taught him to tread carefully when it came to the opposite sex. After all virtually all the women whom he had dated in the past had either left him, just wanted to be friends or tried to kill him after the first date. When that was combined with the fact that the ladies he had walked in on had absolutely no reason to restrain themselves or even try to understand him and that meant that running for his life was the only way to avoid what they would most certainly have thrown at him had he stayed any longer. Still at least he had gotten a robe out of the incident even if it did feel slightly big on him despite the fact that it had looked to be the right size when he had grabbed it. Still he dismissed it as just an error in judgment on his part and continued to look around for some place to hide until he could come up with a plan.

_C'Mon! Where's an empty guest room when you need one?_ , Xander thought as he continued to try and find a door that gave him some idea of what was inside, _Heck at this point I would settle for a stall in the men's washroom at this point!_

Finally he hit the jack pot as he spotted what could universally be recognized as an elevator but was forced to duck around a corner as it opened to let some bearded guy out. He looked to be another of those monks but without the bath robe on leaving him in something that looked like a martial arts outfit. Maybe these guys were some kind of warrior monk types which might be a good thing unless they worshipped some kinda being that was the embodiment of death and destruction. Still those types of religious nuts tended to prefer darker colors and blood colored clothes but that was the color scheme he recognized back on Earth. There was no telling what color blood the people here had or what they consider evil and bloodthirsty colors so that meant he would have to stick with his initial belief about these people and remain paranoid. He waited until he could no longer hear the man's footsteps before striding silently over to the door to the lift. Looking at either side about waist level he quickly spotted the buttons for 'up' and 'down' and suddenly found he had not decided which direction would be the best for him. He had no idea if he was on some sub-level below the surface or on the umpteenth floor high above some city street or ground level. In the end he decided on up since he had seen a distinct lack of windows anywhere he had run and generally most people liked to look at the scenery if it was possible and if they were below ground there would be no scenery.

Pressing the button he was gratified when the doors opened on the first try since he had half expected there to be a password or code he would have to type in here just like the last door he had tried to open. Stepping inside he looked for the next universal part of an elevator which was a set of buttons with each one representing a floor that could be accessed. He cursed this place for being so alien to him as he couldn't find anything really that told him which button would take him to the ground level or 'L' for the lobby or something. Eventually he spotted something that looked like a rather crude pictograph for the sun and so with no real other alternative for getting out of this place he pressed it. As the lift began to move he found he had some time to consider his situation more beyond the idle cursing of his luck and the need to inflict some pain on someone for making him green and giving him claws. He could only presume this was some kind of science facility and he was their latest guinea pig in some bizarre experiment to cross demon DNA with human DNA. That in and of itself was strange since just about every demon he had ever encountered looked at humans as a meal at best and dirt beneath their heels at the worst. Not exactly the kinda species they'd want to willing mix their genetic material with if they had any say in the matter. Perhaps they were experimenting on him because they considered him expendable and didn't much care if he survived the procedure or not. That would be more in keeping with a demon's way of thinking, don't risk your fellow demon when some human cannon fodder is available. Well this bit of cannon fodder wasn't about to wait around and let them add a tail to the mix or antlers or some other demon appendage to his body.

_ Hopefully they weren't in the middle of something when I decided to break out._ , Xander thought as he started tapping his right foot with impatience_, I'd hate to make my getaway only to keel over because they gave me a bad demon heart or something._

Just as he was about to start some mental game like 'name five things connected to Britney Spears' the walls of the elevator suddenly became transparent and he was treated to a view that instantly made him re-evaluate where he was at the moment. What he saw was a sprawling city of the future with metal buildings as far as the eye could see with lanes of flying cars flying around on an invisible streets high in the air. There was nothing that even remotely looked like technology from back home but also nothing to suggest that he was merely looking at some form of magic made to look like technology. It looked like he wasn't far off the mark when he had made the earlier comparison to Star Trek since those 'demons' he had seen earlier could have been aliens. Not that the fact did a lot to improve his state of mind as to his current situation. After all there were plenty of horror movies and tidbits of imagination in his head where aliens actually turned out to be worse than demons if that was at all possible. That only meant that he would have to find a way to turn this bucket around and head down since he seemed to be way way way too high up in the air.

He turned back to the series of floor buttons and looked for one that was halfway between the top where the sun pictograph had been and the bottom portion where he was sure that he had just come from. Pressing one at random that seemed promising he was upset to find that nothing had changed as far as the direction the lift was going. Pressing another one hoping for a better reaction he went from upset to angry when still nothing happened to improve his situation. What that meant likely was that he would have to wait until he reached whatever floor the sun pictograph was programmed to drop him off at before choosing another destination. Hopefully there wouldn't be anyone on the receiving end of this trip waiting to get on because he had no idea how to say 'could you please wait for the next one' in Klingonese or whatever the language was they spoke here. Making sure that the bath robe he had on him was properly tied and covering what it should he hoped that no matter what happened he could keep whatever dignity was left to him at the moment. What he saw when the doors opened though was probably worse than what he had seen when he had walked head first into the ladies locker room in this place. At least then he had some eye candy to look at before he made a hasty retreat which made up for the mortal level of embarrassment resulting from him walking in on them wearing a set of boxers.

No the sight that welcomed him was an array of people, twelve people in total, arranged in a semi-circle around the entrance to the lift. The thing that made him worry was the fact that they seemed to have been waiting for him as every set of eyes, some consisting of more than two, were fixed on him. How they could have known he was coming was something of a mystery but he presumed it had something to do with the security system this place must have. He probably tripped an alarm somewhere or showed up on some hidden security camera somewhere and they had been following his progress ever since. That would also explain why the elevator had refused to change directions despite his insistent pressing of several other buttons to make it go anywhere but here. They had probably seized control of it the moment he stepped in and were probably still in control which meant that he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Sighing he muttered to himself "Stick a fork in me, I'm done!"

Jedi Temple, High Council Chambers, Half an Hour Later 

"So basically what you're telling me is that a cloud of energy popped in during one of your meetings, you sensed me inside and tried to help, and that's why I look this way?" Xander asked as he tried to keep his cool while the translator droid relayed his question to the members of the High Council of the Jedi Order.

It had taken some placating on the part of the Council to get across that they weren't going to kill him or stick him back into that tank but once the translator droid had learned English and was able to translate things went a lot smoother. They explained how a smaller version of the cloud of dimensional energy had appeared in this very room and put on a spectacular show. He had done a botched beam in thing inside of a column of energy that had come from the cloud and when they had tried to help him the cloud had somehow sampled Master Yoda's and Master Galia's DNA and combined it with his own. This hadn't really hit home though until they had given him a mirror to look at and he was able to take in the full scope of the changes. He had already known about the dusty dark green skin and the pointy claw-like finger nails but what he hadn't known about was the rest of the deal. He was now sporting two point ears on either side of his head the looked less like Mr. Spock ears and more like Puck ears from that cartoon show Gargoyles that Disney put out awhile back. His hair was no longer the uniform brown that he was used to but instead a combo of brown and white making it look like he had been a natural white blonde and done a shitty dye job trying to turn it brown.

However the thing that was probably the most bothersome was the fact that he had shrunk by almost a foot placing him in the same height range as Buffy seemed to be stuck in. Not because he had been hit by some kinda shrink ray or a fluke of some of the medical treatments they had given him to help his body recover. Apparently Yoda's species had an exceptionally long lifespan and when a bit of his DNA got mixed with his own he wound up being regressed back to fifteen years old. His current theory was that some remnant of the spell that the monks back home had used to forge the Key into one Dawn Summers. It had been the going theory that they had taken a sample of Buffy's blood from some unnamed source and then used it in the spell to act as a base for Dawn's appearance and form. When he had been brought here the bits of the same spell that came along for the ride needed a DNA sample from someone in order to form the base for his new identity. When Master Yoda and Master Galia attempted to help him using 'The Force' whatever that was it was the same as volunteering for that supposed honor. The only saving grace though was that because a little more than half of his current DNA was human he wouldn't have to be worried about looking like a one of the little folk from Ireland. In any case at least the spell didn't work all the way and re-arrange everyone's memory including his own to make it look like he had always been there. He would never want to forget the gang back home and all the good times that they had fighting the good fight back in Sunnydale. That of course brought things to where they were right now since it had been established how he had gotten here and that was what were they going to do about him now.

"Apparently so from what Master Windu has explained to me." The translator droid, who he had come to refer to as G-Bot because of his prissy English sounding accent, who had relayed his question to the bald black man who apparently led this group.

"Well than I guess the next question to be answered is where do I go from here? I doubt that they can send me home which means I'm stuck here." Xander said with a bit of bitterness in his voice at his current fate.

It had been something he had pretty much accepted in his head when he had first realized that he had been transported to another dimension. It had taken the power of The Key to send him here and it was unlikely that anything less than that would be able to get him back home. Add to that his genetic changes and he doubted that things could go back to normal even if he was able to get back to Sunnyhell. Besides which the closest thing these people seemed to have to magic was this Force thing with the rest being pure science and technology. He had no idea what this Force could do but if they had never seen anything like the cloud of dimensional energy before it was doubtful they knew anything about opening doorways to other realities just by willing it or something. It wasn't until he had clued into the involvement of the Key after seeing his appearance and hearing their side of things that his heart had finally accepted the truth of the situation. It left him in a bit of bind though as far as his future went though as he essentially had ties to nothing and no one in this world.

He waited for the translator droid to listen to Master Windu's response to his inquiry and hoped these guys would have some kind of idea as to what to do now.

"Master Windu has stated he and the rest of the High Council are unsure as well as to where to go from here. He has however asked me to assure you that you are welcome to stay here in the Jedi temple until a decision can be reached by all concerned parties." G-Bot said politely and in a very English manner.

Relieved a bit that he at least wouldn't have to worry about finding a place to stay he stated "Tell Master Windu thanks for allowing me to stay here. I owe him big for this."

The droid was about to pass that message along to Master Windu when Xander had a sudden thought and grabbed the droids arm to stop him.

"Yes sir?" G-Bot asked curiously.

"Also ask him if he wouldn't mind extending my apologies to the ladies I accidently walked in on in the changing room near the infirmary where I woke up." he stated while trying to maintain his composure.

"Very well sir." The droid said before resuming his job of translating between Xander and Master Windu.

The truth of the matter was that Xander doubted that he could face all those women and be able to keep the image of them in various states of undress out of his mind long enough to spit out a decent 'I'm sorry'. Add that to the fact that he didn't know the dominant language or the customs and beliefs of each of the women which meant he had no idea how far he would have to go to appease each of them if they were angry with him. For all he knew for an unknown man to see them like that without permission required them to kill him or worse castrate him. Better if it came from someone they respected on his behalf and he doubted they would pursue the matter further if it came from someone on the High Council. It might be a cowards way out but if even half of them were the equivalents of Slayers in how well they could fight as well as their tempers and he would rather jump from the top of this building and go splat. It would probably be less painful than having to find ways to avoid them and eventually living some kind of a peaceful life.

He waited after G-Bot finished relaying his request along with his thanks for providing a place for him to stay and hoped that everything would go smoothly. Unfortunately for him his discomfort at having to confront so many women and apologize for his actions and while some were gracious enough to keep their mirth confined to their eyes a few of them broke out in amused grins. He knew from the heat in his face that his skin must have turned a darker shade of green at his embaressment but thankfully they seemed to take pity on him an reigned their amusement in. Mace Windu turned to the woman that had been identified as Master Galia and said something before speaking to G-Bot to presumably send him his reply.

"Master Windu has agreed to deliver your apology to those you encountered." , G-Bot said before extending an arm to indicate Master Galia, "He has also asked Master Galia to show you to guest quarters that will be given to you for the time being."

Nodding in thanks he waited for Master Galia to reach him before turning to the lift and getting in with her and G-Bot. As the lift began to descend he wondered how he should act towards the Jedi Master given that at least some of her genetic code was now a part of him. He knew that it technically didn't need to do anything as the only connection that he had to her was genetic and nothing else like Dawn had been handed when she had been created. In truth he could quite safely just act the way he normally would to someone he didn't know or was just beginning to know as a person. Still it didn't seem right to him, they were connected in a very close way and if he was caught in anything he did wrong a DNA match would connect her to that bad act as well. Regardless if they just told the authorities the truth, that he only had her DNA because of a fluke incident, she would still be tarnished by the bad press. So would the little green gnome back in the High Council chambers and making two prestigious members of that Council mad at you for giving them bad press was not a thing he wanted to do one little bit. After all he needed them more than they needed him at the moment and he wasn't about to bite the hand that was willing to feed him. Just then he realized something that almost made him wish he really had been fried by that bolt of energy from Dawnie's dimensional storm cloud.

_I don't know the tech, I don't know any of the customs of these people and I'm essentially a minor again!_ , he thought to himself as he fought to keep himself from rolling his eyes, _It's going to be like high school all **over** again!_


	2. Making a choice and settling in

**Note :** This section of the chapter update is to answer questions included in the reviews made by certain authors and readers after they read the last chapter. In answer to Dragonmaster's dislike of my cutting off Xander completely from the Scoobies in this fanfic crossover I would say that he is underestimating my creativity and the amount of things neither Xander nor anyone in the Order know. Just because Xander doesn't think that either the Jedi or the Republic can get him home doesn't mean that a way back to Sunnyhell doesn't exist. After all if there was anything that BtVS and Star Wars make a point of making clear is that nothing is impossible. In the BtVS it was supposed to be impossible for there to be two Slayers at the same time yet thanks to Xander resuscitating Buffy there are two now. In the Star Wars universe and more importantly the Jedi Order they stress not to limit yourself to rules of what can and cannot be done. After all in Empire Strikes Back Luke thought being able to lift his X-Wing out of the swamp with the Force was impossible but Yoda proved him wrong. I also thought it wasn't possible to block Force lightning but Yoda managed to do it in Attack of the Clones against Dooku. So you shouldn't rule out a return to Sunnydale completely just try and deduce when I might plan for it to happen. As for my recently starting several new fanfics I can assure you that I will finish the ones I have posted currently in my section of the site. There will be no new stories posted until they are completed.

As for making Xander less human I think you should ask yourself 'What makes a person/being human?'. Is it their DNA and their appearance or is it how they think and act? While Xander's may look different and genetically be different from what he once was but he is still Xander where it counts. As for why I didn't make Xander a fully human Jedi I just decided that such a plot had been played out too much up until now that it was getting old. I wanted to chart some brand new territory and take things off in a bold new direction that hasn't been tried before. After all there are quite a few fanfics out there involving Xander being Jedi where he remains human with 'Jedi Harris' and 'Halloween Episode Xander' just to name two. Besides like I mentioned above Xander is still Xander where it counts. If that does not satisfy you then I will reveal a secret I had been hoping to keep to myself but have decided to let you all know in advance. The primary reason why I made Xander part Yoda is because I wanted to leave open the possibility of Xander taking part in the events of 'A New Hope' through 'Return of the Jedi' without being an old man like Obi-Wan Kenobi. I wanted him to be young and spry enough to be more than just a wise old hermit and remnant of the past there to start Luke off into the future. Add to that the fact that I liked all the books that came afterwards up until the introduction of the Yuzhan Vong and who knows where this could lead. While I have not worked out all the details I would say that Xander now has the potential to live to be one hundred and fifty at the least and three hundred at the most.

As for info on Jedi Master Adi Galia I suggest you go to the official Star Wars website go into the Databank section of the site. Then place your mouse icon on top of the by category icon and select characters and click on it. The characters are listed by their last names so Galia would be in the G section. She is indeed human, her headpiece is ceremonial or her own personal creation. So that makes Xander two thirds human and only one third Yoda. As for why I made some of Yoda's traits dominant it could be because of a variety of reasons. One, it could be because Yoda is stronger in the Force than either Galia or Xander. Two, it could be a simple fact of genetics that the genes from Yoda's people are simply the stronger than human genes despite the fact that two thirds of the DNA is human in Xander. Or three, I simply wanted to get away from the human Xander Jedi that has been so played out already that it was time for a change. As for the skin color I did try to look on the Net for an application or program that could mix white with chocolate brown with light lime green but came up empty. So I just tried to come up with something that might come close and look good and I like the color dusty green.

In any case when you, the readers, read my fics keep in mind that even when I have a basic course I would like the plot to take I always like to leave a few loose threads in case you guys inspire me to take things in a new direction halfway through the fic. So don't count anything out until you see the wors 'The End'.

Xander's Temporary quarters, Jedi Temple, Corusant 

**__**

**__**

_ Well this is definitely a step up from my apartment._ Xander thought to himself as he looked around at the room he had been assigned by the Jedi Council.

Master Galia had showed him to this room and left G-Bot behind to show him how to work some of the appliances as well as the intercom in case he needed something that the droid couldn't provide. That had been five minutes ago and he was just now able to relax to the point where he could take in his surroundings with an honest eye without wondering how he looked to a Jedi Master. It had been a bit unnerving during the time they had walked from the high council chambers to this room given that the person he was walking alongside had 'donated' at least a third of his new DNA. It was weird to think he was connected to this unknown woman genetically now, kinda like finding out you had a long lost relative or in this case grandparent. After all if half the mother's DNA is contributed to her child and then one quarter of that is passed on to the grandchild than that technically made both Yoda and Galia is grandparents. Weird didn't even come close to describing how he felt about being connected by blood to people he had never before met or knew how to act around them. Master Galia had apparently noticed this and had made an attempt during their walk here to make him feel more at ease but with G-Bot as a go between it didn't quite have that effect.

In any case now that he no longer had Galia around to distract him he decided to do some exploring of his room and all the rooms attached to it like what he presumed was the bathroom in the far right hand corner. Deciding to get into some decent clothes for the time being he went over to what looked like the dresser and attempted to open the top drawer but found that he could not find the handle grip he expected to be there. Bending his knees down to get a better look he found that there was no handle there or even room enough for the average person's fingers to fit into. Looking around the front surface of the drawer he found a black button in the lower right hand corner that didn't even extend more than a millimeter from the main drawer surface. Deciding to give it a shot he pressed the button and almost got hit in the head as the drawer slid outwards like a casually opened door. Fortunately it stopped just short of his forehead. Looking inside he saw several pairs of shirts, pants and other clothes he had seen these Jedi wore around the temple and nothing else. Either they were trying to give him a subtle hint about what profession he should take or the only guests they had ever had in this place were other Jedi. While he wasn't entirely crazy about their fashion sense and he was fairly certain that if Cordy was here she would be reading them the fashion police riot act right now. Still it beat running around in a pair of white boxers. Taking out a shirt, a pair of pants, boots he laid them out on the bed and took off the bathrobe he had 'borrowed' before laying next to the rest of the clothing. He'd decided to see what this place had in terms of a shower because now that the stuff he had been immersed in had time to dry on his skin he was feeling distinctly icky.

"Hey G-Bot! Do you think you could set up the computer in here to display information in my own language?" Xander asked as he moved to the door of what he presumed was the bathroom.

"Certainly sir. I shall have it prepared for you by the time you finish your shower." , G-Bot said in his usual prim and properness, "However my designation is not 'G-Bot' it is G5-L7."

"Yeah, yeah!" Xander said shaking his head at the similarity between the droid and G-Man back home.

It was comforting to have a little slice of home here even though the droid didn't know he was emulating the Watcher and it certainly would make his time here a bit more bearable. He wondered if he could request that G-Bot be permanently assigned to him or maybe buy him off the Jedi if he ever decided to leave and go some place on his own. He shrugged mentally and filed the information away for later figuring he would have more than enough time to solve that little problem when he could competently speak their language on his own. Once the door closed behind him he looked around the bathroom and was genuinely glad to find that the universal organizational pattern for the sink, toilet and shower was just as constant here as it was back home. Taking off his boxers he briefly and in a way covertly looked down and was glad to see that while he may have taken on some of Master Yoda's more exotic features the **ahem** important parts of his anatomy were still intact and unchanged. He had known from the moment he had woken up that there had been something located between his legs but when he had first glimpsed at his green clawed hand he had been a little worried at what that something might be. Logically though he knew that since around sixty percent of his DNA was apparently still human than chances are any changes brought about by Yoda's genetic material would either be skin deep like the new skin tone and ears or something you'd need a lab to find.

_The last thing I need is to find out that I lay eggs or something once a month!_ Xander thought to himself as he stepped into the shower and looked around for the hot and cold water knobs.

All he could see though was some kind of control panel with lots of blinking lights and labels written in a language he couldn't read. At this point common sense was telling him to get G-Bot in here and ask him to translate but he figured that if he was going to start learning he might as well start now. So he decided to press the button that bore the most resemblance to an upwards arrow and when he did he was rewarded when he heard the sound of something turning on. He waited patiently for the water to hit him so he could start getting rid of the dried gunk he had on him but nothing happened. He pressed the up button again and this time he felt something for sure but it wasn't water but rather a tingling sensation all over his body. He pressed the up button one more time and this confirmed his suspicions as the tingling sensation increased accordingly making it clear that this was a certified sonic shower straight out of Star Trek. He looked down at his arm and watched with amazement as he watched the patches of dried gunk break up and rise off his body before disappearing all together.

"Cool!" he muttered to himself as he stood still and let the sonic shower do its work.

Another added side effect of the shower was that it was also giving his muscles a good massage at the same time and he was enjoying it immensely. After all a machine that could get rid of your sweat and stink while at the same time massaging your muscles after a good workout would have been a best seller back home. Here though he was fairly certain that it was fairly common place which was likely to be the case with many things he would discover over the next few weeks. Hopefully he would be able to keep himself from looking too much like the naïve tourist to these Jedi because he remembered a few times himself when he found some of the antics of tourists from overseas amusing. Now that he was in the role of the naïve tourist there would most certainly be a few incidents where his ego and pride would take some serious hits. That was part of the reason why he had asked G-Bot to rig the computer to display its information in English earlier. He knew that it would take months and likely every spare moment he had before he would learn enough to be able to function in this universe without a Jedi chaperon by his side. Even the children of this dimension would likely know more than he did and it was more than a little annoying that he was dumber than a two year old in this place. Still these Jedi didn't look like the sort to take advantage of his problem or make fun of him so he was only in danger if he made a fool of himself in front of non-Jedi people.

In any case though he would have to take things one step at a time and hope that he would be able to at least be competent in the most basic of skills and technological understanding. It would take time but then again what else did he have to do in this world besides learn?

Jedi High Council Chambers, Twenty Minutes Later 

"Now that Master Galia has returned we can begin our deliberations on what exactly to do with Xander." , Master Windu said as he looked around at the collected members of the Council, "I have my own suggestion but I would like to hear what each of you each have to say first."

Ki-Adi-Mundi was the first to talk and stated "It is a difficult conundrum indeed. However while we did not wish him to come here I believe it is indeed our responsibility to at least furnish him with the tools and knowledge he will need to survive in our world."

"True. However I also believe we should be wary of him. We know nothing of him or his intentions towards us." , Depa Bellaba stated cautiously, "We have only his word that any of what he has told us is the truth and his lack of knowledge could be a clever ruse to trick us to lower our guard."

"For what purpose would this deception serve?" Master Yoda asked neutrally neither agreeing nor disagreeing with her statement.

"Perhaps to gain entry into the Temple for the purpose of intelligence gathering or sabotage? It was still up for debate whether or not the Sith that Obi-Wan Kenobi killed on Naboo was the Master and Xander could be the replacement for the Sith that was killed." Depa said pointing out a potential danger to them and their Order.

"You forget the manner in which he appeared in this very room." , Eeth Koth said as he indicated a flaw in her theory, "Teleportation technology is all but regarded as a pipe dream by the scientific community nor is there any record of a Force user being able to accomplish such a feat."

"While I admit that I do not have an answer as to how he appeared to us it is possible that in the years between the last official record of Sith activity in the past and the incident at Naboo that they may have come upon some unknown technology." Depa said reluctantly conceding her lack of explanation with regards to the cloud of energy that delivered Xander into their laps.

"That is more wild speculation than hard fact Master Bellaba. To judge this child on the basis of unfounded theories and paranoia would be unjust." Even Piell said reminding his friend not to allow her fear to control her.

"Indeed. Judge him by what we know we must, not on what we do not." Master Yoda said sagely as one would expect from an honorable elder.

"I believe that he is speaking the truth." , Master Galia said with conviction in her voice, "We know of nothing that could have made him appear as he did and judging from his aimless racing through the Temple he lack of knowledge does seem authentic."

"True but I think there is one issue that takes priority over whether or not he speaks the truth of his origins. The Force was with him as I am sure you all sensed." , Saesee Tiin said in a way that made it clear he was concerned, "Add to that the disruption in the Force that the cloud of energy and it would be foolish to think that the Sith that still remains has not become aware of his existence if only in a vague sense."

The room gave way to silence as all were forced to confront the fact that all of them were hesitant to voice because of what it could mean for them. In all of the Jedi Order Master Yoda was considered to be the most powerful and perhaps the wisest of them all. His medichloren count was the highest anyone had ever seen until young Anakin Skywalker had been tested and found to have a higher count. Now this person, Xander, had appeared and whether he possessed it before having Master Yoda and Master Galia's DNA bonded with his own or after he too possessed a great deal of power. To have such power in the Force and be as new to this world as a newborn baby made him extremely vulnerable to manipulation and the lure of the Dark Side of the Force. His apparent mental age was also a problem as it was with Anakin Skywalker when he was brought before the Council five years ago. The entire reason why Force adepts were taken into the Order soon after birth was so that they could begin instruction early and spend time teaching them to unlearn what they had learned so far in their life. Thoughts and preconceptions as well as ways of doing things accumulated up until the time they were accepted into the Order would only make it harder for them to harness and use the force. The way they casually allowed their emotions to play a strong role in their decision making process would also be a problem for if they did not learn how to control their emotions it would be all to easy for them to fall to the Dark Side.

As Saesee had mentioned the one Sith that still remained out there would most likely have sensed the disturbance in the Force as they had but to a lesser degree due to distance. When added to a person who had the potential to be as strong if not stronger in the Force as Master Yoda and the Sith may be tempted to make Xander his new apprentice depending on what they decided here tonight.

"It is unlikely that his arrival went unnoticed by those with the ability to sense it but what can we do? We cannot keep him here against his will should he wish to leave once we have taught him enough to survive on his own." , Plo Koon stated as he pondered the situation, "However if we allow him to leave the Sith will have quite the chance to abduct him and indoctrinate Xander in the ways of the Dark Side of the Force."

"The tools to defend himself we must give him." Master Yoda stated cryptically.

"Are you suggesting that he be instructed in the ways of our Order?" Depa asked failing to fully conceal her surprise at the very idea of instructing the fifteen year old boy.

"Suggesting it I am. Power such as that which the boy possesses is dangerous if left to itself. Both by confinement and by chance learn of the Dark Side the boy might." , Yoda stated sternly making it clear where he stood on the matter, "Only by instructing him in the ways of the Light Side of the Force prevent that can we."

It was clear that while most members of the High Council of the Jedi Order agreed with Yoda's course of action they were all hesitant to endorse it with words. In all the history of the Jedi Order the number of times a Force Adept has been instructed after they have exceeded the age limit can be counted with ease. Of those that have been admitted for training over half of them have fallen to the Dark Side of the Force because they could not fully let go of their old way of thinking and acting. In the case of these fallen adepts they were limited in what they could do as they were not so strong that they could not be defeated by a skilled Jedi Knight. In some cases their own devotion to the Dark Side destroyed them as the evil energy ate away at their body the deeper they swam into its depths. It was only due to the chance that Anakin Skywalker was the prophecied chosen one capable of returning balance to the Force was Obi-Wan allowed to instruct him. Day by Day they could each feel their abilities weakening under the growing sway of the Dark Side of the Force. Now, in Xander, they had another person who was strong in the Force perhaps as much as Master Yoda. To instruct him in the ways of the Force meant taking the chance that he could become a powerful Sith himself, one that could cause great harm before they eventually defeated him. Still Yoda was right in that imprisoning him here against his will could turn him to the Dark Side just as easily as if he stumbled upon it himself on his journey of discovery outside this Temple.

"We will put it to a vote then. All in favor of instructing the young man named Xander in the ways of the Force raise your hand." Mace Windu asked as he raised his own in support of the idea.

Hands were raised but it was not unanimous as there were some members who did not agree with the course of action being proposed.

"All opposed?" Mace Windu asked waiting for the remaining members to make their opinion known.

A few hands were raised but there were a few who had not raised their hands for either yay or nay which would seem to mean that they were still undecided as to their course of action.

"Then it is decided." Mace Windu stated and with this vote the course of an entire dimension was decided.

Unknown Location, The Outer Rim 

"Lord Tyrranus. Lord Sidious wishes to speak with you." Came the digitized voice of the droid as it stood at the entrance to it's owner's private chambers.

"Very well. I will receive it here." The Sith Lord named Tyrranus commanded as he moved over to the holographic comm. System.

He knelt on the holo-pad that would transmit his image to his Master where ever he was at the moment in the republic. He had little doubt as to what the reason for this communication was but he also knew that he had to take care to properly encrypt and disguise his signal. He had been charged by his Master to rally the various forces that had grievances against the actions of the Republic and to unite them under a single banner. His Master had given him this mission after he had succeeded in finding the perfect subject for the clone army that was being grown on Komino. While it was still his responsibility to keep a close watch on that part of the Master's plan gaining the co-operation of fools like the Trade Federation was just as important. However in the past in recent days a disturbance in the Force had made itself known that was unlike any he had sensed before. There did exist a remnant of this disturbance however from where he was on the Outer Rim he was unable to sense its exact nature. If he was fortunate his Master would know more than he and would share that information with him. Ahead of the pad on which he knelt the holo-pad which would project the image of his Master activated and within moments the image of his Lord appeared.

"What is thy bidding my Master?" Tyrranus asked humbly from his position of subservience.

"I presume you have sensed the same disturbance in the Force as I?" His Lord Sidious asked with a tone of superiority and menace.

"Yes my Master. It was unlike anything I have sensed before." Lord Tyrranus replied obediently.

"No you would not have for such a disturbance has not occurred ever in the recorded history of either the Sith or those foolish Jedi." Lord Sidious said with extra bitterness placed upon the name of their hated enemies.

"Do you know where it manifested itself my Master?" Tyrranus asked humbly of his Master keeping his rank in mind when he chose his tone of voice.

"Oddly enough from within the Jedi Temple itself on Corusant but I do not believe that they created it themselves." , Sidious answered his apprentice with an emotion that could be construed as intrigue, "I sense that this is the work of an unknown party making itself known."

"Do you believe that this will affect our overall timeline?" Tyrranus asked politely showing no doubt of their eventual victory.

"No. Whoever these new players may be they will not be permitted to interfere." , Sidious replied mockingly as if the very notion that he could be stopped was ridiculous, "Still it may prove interesting to learn the full details of what transpired in that cursed templed. Contact your informants and spies, order them to investigate the matter. Discreetly."

"As you command my Master." Tyrannus said obediently as he bowed his head even further.

With that the holographic image of his Master vanished and he was once again alone within the chamber. It was an interesting distraction that had made itself known and surprisingly he found himself looking forward to unraveling this mystery. It promised to be much more interesting for him than dealing with those fools from the Trade Federation and the Banking Guilds. It was a supreme test of his control to keep from slaying the whole group of them where they sat during his meetings with them. Each one had delusions of grandeur and honestly believed that they were each indispensable but little did they know that by the time the Master's plan was done they would all be dead. To both him and the Master they were little more than tools, pawns to be moved around and directed to their predetermined spots until finally they outlived their usefulness and were discarded. This mystery was not a person but a puzzle of the Force and that was infinitely more interesting than playing on the vices and weaknesses of transient allies. While he doubted his former teacher or the Council would allow details of the event spread far he doubted that they would refuse the request of an 'honored' member such as he. With news of his involvement in the growing separatist movement just beginning to surface there would be some wariness coming from them but a few well phrased sentences set in their insipid Jedi doctrine and those doubts would be easily dispelled.

Add to that the fact that he had numerous contacts and potential apprentices within their ranks and he doubted it would take long before he would know what his Master desired to know and then he would pass it on to him and be rewarded. He had been thinking about taking on another apprentice ever since his last experiment Kimari Vosa became unstable and needed to be put down. She had been the test he had proposed to the best bounty hunters of the known worlds, destroy her and her followers and receive more money than they would ever be able to spend. When Jango Fett, the Mandalorian, succeeded in all but defeating Vosa he had stepped in and finished her off himself both to keep her from spoiling his plans and to prevent her from planting seeds of doubt in the bounty hunter's mind. Bounty hunters were suspicious by their very nature and a Mandalorian would be twice as suspicious than any others even of their employers. However as long as his version of the truth matched up with what Jango Fett was allowed to uncover he could make the bounty hunter do whatever he wanted. In the end everything had gone as planned and the clone army was already half completed with the remaining half estimated to be finished by the target date.

Until that time though all he was responsible for was building up the separatist forces and raising the pressure on the Jedi forcing them to spread their forces out more and more. The investigation into the disturbance would take more of his time but he was willing to make time to instruct an apprentice of his own. It would take time but he already had his eyes on several promising padawans both within the Jedi Order and elsewhere in the galaxy. When the time was right he would approach them and lure them into the Dark Side of the Force showing them the power they could have if they abandoned the restrictive teachings of the Jedi. He would have to think hard on how he would broach the idea of a pupil with his Master so as to make it seem as though whomever he chose would simply be another tool to be used in their machinations. In truth however he would be instructing his protégé with the intention of overthrowing his Master at the right time. It was an ambitious plan, one that would require him to plan carefully in order for it to succeed with minimal damage to himself and his forces. If he attempted to usurp his Master too early in the coming war they were planning there was a chance that the Republic might emerge victorious. That or one of the others subservient to his Lord would challenge his claim to leadership and the resulting civil war would weaken his forces to the point where the Republic could crush him easily. However if he waited too long his Master would be too well established in his new seat of power to be moved.

_Still I have time enough to plan my steps carefully and meticulously._ , Tyrranus thought as he moved towards the door of the chamber, _All that will be required is to keep my **Lord** Sidious from discovering my ambitions until it is too late!_

Jedi Temple, The Following Morning, High Council Chambers 

_ Oh what I wouldn't do for a Twinkie right now!_ Xander thought to himself as he stepped into the chamber of the Jedi High Council.

It had been rather pleasant learning about this new world and all it had to offer from the sonic showers to the disturbing similarities to Star Trek's Federation. However things went from interesting to revolting when he had attempted to eat breakfast this morning and was given a menu of things to eat by G-Bot. Nowhere on the list was the comforting sight of pancakes, waffles or even toast and the one thing he did choose to eat was now making his stomach act up. He was fairly certain that he wasn't going to throw up or wind up having a dump in his new Jedi clothes but breaking wind was a distinct possibility at the moment. Given the array of species that comprised the Council and how sensitive their senses of smell probably were he prayed he could hold it until he left. Otherwise he was going to seriously embarrass himself and probably not be able to look any of them in the face for at least a week. They seemed pleased that he had shown up wearing an outfit similar to their own and it was then that he decided he had been right when he had suspected that drawers full of this stuff was a subtle recruitment hint.

The one that had been identified as Master Windu said something then G-Bot said "Master Windu thanks you for your prompt response to the High Council's summons and inquires as to whether or not you had a pleasant sleep."

"Tell him I slept good and that I decided this morning to make punctuality one of my newest virtues." Xander replied with a bit of humor as he had been quite fondly regarded as the tardy master of Sunnydale High School.

G-Bot relayed the message and he could see from the slight bit of mirth in Windu's eyes that he caught the humor in his reply. He spoke again but with a bit more serious tone making it clear he had decided to get right down to business instead of wasting time with more chit-chat.

G-Bot said "Master Windu says that the Jedi High Council has thought long and hard on your arrival here and has a proposition for you. As a matter of practicality he has stated that the Jedi Order is willing to provide you not only with instruction in the ways of this world but also a place to live. However in addition to a basic education they extend an invitation to learn the ways of the Jedi Order and the Force."

"What?" Xander asked more than a little surprised at the invitation.

Not even bothering to wait for Xander to continue with his confusion G-Bot relayed his question to the Jedi High Council. Windu was swift to reply but his response took a few more minutes than a simple one sentence answer.

G-Bot returned to him and said "Master Windu has stated that due to the unique way in which you arrived and the fact that your genetic code now incorporates the DNA of both Master Yoda and Master Galia you now have the aptitude to tap into the Force. He says the Council will understand if you wish to decline this invitation but emphasizes that it would be better to learn how to control this ability than to wield it haphazardly."

It was a weird turn of events but Xander wasn't sure how he should respond to this invitation as he didn't have a full idea of what exactly this 'Force' was and how dangerous it was to be able to use it without official instruction. He guessed it might be some kind of magic based on the fact that the Jedi Order seemed religious in nature and any ability that they might be able to use would likely be spiritual or arcane at its core. While he wasn't entirely crazy about learning how to work mojo given his experiences in high school and how they tended to blow up in his face. One of the most alarming had been the whole love spell thing he had Amy perform on Cordy only to have it backfire on him. Add to that several idiots that the Scooby gang had to deal with since Buffy came to Sunnydale and he had a rather unsavory opinion of magic in general. Still he could see why they thought it would be better for him to learn how to control it rather than let him stumble around the galaxy zapping people by accident. In the end he decided that he would rather have the knowledge and not use it than need it and not have it when it counted.

"Tell Master Windu thanks for the offer to help me learn about this world and that I also accept his offer for instruction in the ways of the Jedi Order." Xander said hoping that he knew what he was getting into but determined to do his best no matter what.

G-Bot relayed this to the Jedi Master and it seemed that a breath the entire High Council didn't know they had been holding was released as they all relaxed a bit. They seemed to talk amongst themselves for awhile probably deciding which instructor would get saddled with teaching him as well as a tentative lesson plan for the next while. He doubted it would be one of the High Council as they probably had tons of more important things to do than spend time teaching a single student. It would probably be someone currently free but experienced and trustworthy enough to keep quiet about certain sensitive facts to him/her/itself. He just hoped that he didn't wind up get a teacher that was anything like Principle Snyder was or else the only thing he was going to learn was how to duck out of classes early. By the time he finished this thought they seemed to finish their discussion as G-Bot turned back to him to relay what they had decided.

"Master Windu says that he is glad that you have agreed to be instructed in the ways of the Force. He wishes me to say instruction will take place at the same time you are taught about the Galactic Republic as well as the basics required to live in this world. As to your instructors it has been decided that five members of the Jedi High Council will take time off from their regular duties to teach you. Which members of the High Council have yet to be determined but you will be informed of their names later today." G-Bot stated translating the words of the Jedi Council.

For the next few moments Xander just looked at the collected members of the Jedi High Council as if they had just told him that they were all gay. He knew that he was new to this world and to the Jedi Order but he was fairly certain that new students did not receive their instruction personally from the super elite. That would be like a pro athlete dropping out of his chosen sport to coach little league or something. Still if they weren't joking with him than he would be receiving top notch instruction from the very best which was like being taught how to play basketball by Michael Jordan himself. In any case it would certainly be an experience if he didn't wind up making a fool of himself or disappoint them with his lack of progress.

"Tell him that I shall do my best not to let him or the Jedi High Council down." Xander said as he finally regained his voice and tried to sound calm.

G-Bot relayed what he said and was met with a swift reply by Mace Windu.

"Master Windu says that he is sure you will learn splendidly. He wishes to know if you would like a guided tour of the temple." G-Bot said translating the Jedi Master's question.

"Sure. Lead the way." Xander said casually as he knew that he had just taken the first step on a journey that would either turn out monumentally well or blow up in his face which was the way his luck usually went.

Jedi Archives, Jedi Temple, Corusant 

_Okay! Looks like I sided with the right people!_ Xander thought to himself as he took in the latest portion of the temple.

It had been a little over two hours since he had left the Council chambers with Master Windu on a tour of the Jedi temple and so far 'impressed' just didn't seem to cover what he was feeling at the moment. So far he had been to three training rooms one gymnasium thing and now the Jedi Archive which apparently held everything these people needed information-wise to keep the peace. That is what the Jedi were apparently, intergalactic peacekeepers, and this is where new recruits were trained in the ways of the Force so they could go around fighting the good fight when they were older. It sounded a lot more appealing than the idea he had come up with before of this just being one big monastery where all the people did here was pray all day. It certainly would be interesting to learn how to swing one of those laser swords he had seen some of the younger students handling. He had made the mistake of mentioning that out loud and so G-Bot being the dutiful translator he was told Windu who immediately sent back the prime rule of the Jedi Order. Jedi used the Force only for knowledge and defense never to attack which meant that learning how to fight while important wasn't something he should get carried away with. It made sense but in his opinion sometimes the best defense was a good offense so he would try and spend some extra time sparring once he got a laser sword of his own.

At the moment though he was looking at an amazing array of computer databanks that looked like humongous book shelves with glowing blue books in them. G-Bot continued to provide a word to word translation of Master Windu's commentary on the Archives and what could be found here. It was pretty cool when he heard how long the Jedi Order and even the Galactic Republic had been around given the fact that back home the Earth was still divided. Not that he knew whole lot about politics back home but he did know that there had never been a global united government in recorded history. There had been empires that spanned Europe and other continents but nothing that had lasted for thousands of years like the Galactic Republic. Such a long stretch of time said great things about its durability and how well it must work for the various peoples and places that made up the Republic. After all a faulty or corrupt government would never have managed to last this long. It would have fallen apart long before its first millennia hit came to pass. In any case he hoped that he wouldn't have to memorize all this before graduating from Jedi U or else he was going to be here for awhile.

"Sir? Sir? Are you alright?" G-Bot asked snapping him back to the present where he saw both Windu and G-Bot looking at him with some concern.

"Yeah sorry. I was just wondering if I was going to have to know all this for the final exam." He said with some levity and his trademark lopsided grin although he imagined it looked quite different from how it did back in his old body.

G-Bot translated this to Windu who shook his head in the universal sign of 'no' before replying verbally.

"Master Windu says that you will not be required to know such a vast amount of information in order to graduate. He further states that even the eldest among the Jedi Order have not either the brain capacity nor time in their species' average life span to commit even half of the Archives to memory." G-Bot stated primly and properly.

That bit of information stunned him for a moment as the Archives didn't look that big but then he remembered that the shelves he saw arrayed about the room weren't filled with books but computer memory. Given how much information could be stored back home in a computer archive and how far ahead the Republic seemed technologically to Earth and he couldn't even guess how much information was stored here. He just hoped he didn't accidently crash the system when they sent him here to do research as part of his education here. However there was one bit of education he couldn't wait to begin ever since he had started drawing similarities between here and what he had seen watching the various Star Trek shows.

"So do I get any spaceship flight training?" Xander asked with a bit of hopefulness at the idea of being behind the proverbial wheel of a real space ship.

G-Bot relayed the question to Master Windu who while looking polite had a distinct aura of worry about him at the idea of teaching the Zeppo how to drive a flying saucer.

"Master Windu says that you have a great deal to learn before you are instructed on the basics of operating a transport. It will likely be at least three years before you will have assimilate enough information about Republic customs and how to speak both the most common written and spoken languages." G-Bot replied adding his own two cents in response to his question.

"Three **years**! Ah Man! It's like waiting for my driver's license all over again!" Xander said in exasperation at having to wait so long to qualify to operate the equivalent of a car.


	3. Friends made and Lessons started

Note : I wish to say I am sorry to those who have been eagerly awaiting the next chapter of this Star Wars/BtVS crossover fanfic. I had gone home for my father's Birthday and did not have access to a computer so I was unable to write a new chapter until just now. I hope you enjoy it.

Also I have to say that I have just recently seen Star Wars Episode Three Revenge of the Sith and it ROCKED! Tons of action and it connected the prequels and the original trilogy just fine. It has also given me some ideas for this fanfic as to how things should go now that Xander Harris has been thrown into the mix. I am willing to accept ideas as to how to alter things in this crossover. I will not tamper too too much with such a great series of movies but as the title of the fanfic implies things will go differently than they did in the movies. Who knows what will change? Maybe I'll make it so that more Jedi will survive the massacre at the Jedi Temple. Maybe I'll arrange it so that it isn't Anakin who turns to the Dark Side but some other Jedi. That is one of the things I love about being able to write fanfics. You can literally write just about anything you want without any restrictions and the possibilities are endless.

In any case lets move on to this chapter of "Divergence"……

Six Months Later, Meditation Room, Jedi Temple, Corusant 

**__**

**__**

"Calm you must be, passive and at peace." Instructed Yoda to the kneeling Xander who was in the middle of the room trying to focus.

It had been half a year since his training in the ways of the Force had begun and despite that length of time the majority of his instruction in that are had been confined to exercises like this. Apparently they were making a major exception in their policy training someone his physical age as they usually did not instruct anyone over five years of age. When he asked why this was so he had been told that minds older than five years were limited in what they could believe or perceive due to beliefs of non Force users. Belief was apparently a big factor in being able to use the Force and it was important to catch Force adepts before they could be weighed down by beliefs that would only hinder their training. Because of this fact they only accepted students who were older if they exhibited unusual strength in the Force and it was believed too dangerous to leave them to their own devices. Unfortunately for him that meant that meditation for five hours a day had been a mandatory part of his routine for the past six months straight. If he was to measure his progress though he would have to say that he might as well have been lazing about the temple for at least three months. Fortunately though the little green midget that was his teacher in this area didn't seem to have mapped out exactly how far he should be along with his training after six months so there was no real rush. Unfortunately while progress was not a major issue paying attention to your instructor and not daydreaming was as he had been hit on the head three times so far today by Yoda's walking stick.

"Focus you must!" , Yoda commanded and for the fourth time today hit him in the head with the stick in his hand, "If you are to progress discipline you must have!"

That had been another issue with training him that he was doing his best to overcome. Apparently the Jedi believed in being only a little more emotional than Vulcans as they saw most emotions as being potential paths to the Dark Side of the Force. Primary among these dangerous emotions were fear, hatred and aggression. To use the Force while under the influence of these emotions was to start down the path to the Dark Side and the life of a Sith. He had read about these Dark Side users during his history classes with Master Windu and how they believed that the true power of the Force lay in using your negative emotions to increase the potency of your attacks. However according to Master Windu, and he had to agree with him, the Dark Side of the Force might be easier to access and exploit but it ultimately proved to be a Sith's undoing. They would always wind up doing one of three things: a)turn on their Master to take his place, b)get too ambitious for their own good and get themselves killed or c)their obsession with increasing their own power would wind up destroying them from the inside out. In any case it was fairly safe to say that these three reasons were often the reason why the Sith had never had a lasting presence in the galaxy. They just wound up biting off more than they could chew and the good guys exploited this fact to the point where they emerged victorious.

He had spent a surprising amount of time in the Jedi Archives reading about the history of the Jedi Order and Force. It was surprising because he usually found books to be complete snooze fests which had been reflected in his test scores and barely graduating from High School. However the history of this world and in particular the Jedi was very cool in ways that he couldn't even describe. It was way different than learning about some stuffy kings or who took whose lands from whom. Instead it was about valiant knights going out into the galaxy to keep the peace and protect the innocent from those who did evil. It was like on big series of sci-fi novels with almost no end and because of that he was all too eager to dive into them. True it wasn't all daring rescues and triumph against seemingly impossible odds, some of it was boring diplomacy, but it was still more interesting than reading history books from home. What was more these records occasionally came with video files showing the Jedi Knights or Masters in action which he watched with dedication and awe. It was completely different from what he had been picturing when the duty of a Jedi was when it was first explained to him. After all they looked like a cross between Friar Tuck and Qwai Chang Caine which translated to people who stayed in their little temple for the most part and only became involved when it directly concerned them. Sadly Yoda had picked up on this adventure fixation and drilled him almost every day that a true Jedi didn't need such desire such things. Those that did often created situations to feed this fixation and were reckless when caution was often required. Still if he heard Shorty, as he had come to call the small Jedi Master, read him the riot act one more time he was going to meditate one more hour just to dispel the need to throttle him.

The rest of his education went as follows: Master Galia taught him about the political situation of the Galactic Republic and how the government worked. She also was the one who instructed him in the area of intelligence gathering which she seemed to be the acknowledged master of among the Jedi. Master Windu aside from teaching him history was also instructing him in the foundation level Light Saber use which unfortunately meant working with those thrice damned training remotes. They looked like those toy rubber balls covered in suction cups but instead of sticking to walls they shot at you with teeny tiny laser bolts that stung like a bitch. Worse yet he was expected to try and deflect them with the training lightsaber while wearing a helmet that covered his eyes with a sheet of metal. He was told to 'stretch out with his feelings' and try to sense both where the remote was as it almost constantly changed its location and predict from which hole the blaster bolt would come from. Needless to say he came home from many a session with dozens of little pin prick scorch marks in certain parts of his body. Ki-Adi-Mundi was the one who instructed him on the more mental aspects of the Force such as telekinesis and bolstering the physical strength and speed of a Jedi's body. It was these abilities that when used in concert with their skill with a lightsaber that made a Jedi a formidable warrior. Ki also instructed him in matters of diplomacy as Jedi were often asked to mediate certain disputes between races and governments. Something to due with the Jedi's sense of honor and so called inability to lie. Saesee Tiin was the Jedi Master who was in charge of teaching him strategy and tactics which was kinda weird considering the fact that the guy was a mountain of muscle. He stated that no matter how strong a Jedi was physically or how fast they were all it took was a sound strategy to defeat them. That was definitely a philosophy he could get behind due to his days hunting vampires back in Sunnydale where most of the big bads they succeeded in bringing down were so confident in their superior physical abilities that they didn't use their brains very much.

All in all it was a well-rounded education that would serve him well whether or not he decided to become member of the Jedi Order or just decided to make his own way in the world or galaxy as the case may be.

"Focus!" came Yoda's irritated voice although he would always deny it if someone said he had been irritated.

However this time was different for when he tried to use his mind to predict which direction Yoda would try to hit him from with his walking stick for a split second he seemed to be able to sense or see it in his mind as it was coming down towards his head. Acting on reflex he moved his head out of the way of the attack and literally felt the piece of wood pass through the air causing a light gust of wind to flow across his face after it had passed. It hadn't hit him what he had just done until he heard Master Yoda seemingly chuckling to himself with both amusement and even a sliver of pride.

"Good! Good! Begin to learn you finally have." Master Yoda said leaning slightly on his walking stick.

"You mean the reason you've been hitting me on the head for the past five hours with your walking stick waiting for me to dodge it?" Xander asked almost incredulously at the teaching method Shorty had been employing without his knowledge.

"Yes! Perfect way to determine progress was it not?" Yoda asked rhetorically apparently still amused with the whole situation.

_Oh yeah! It is just so great now that we speak the same language!_ , Xander thought to himself as he tried to maintain his inner peace rather than allow his irritation to grow, _It's times like these I almost wish G-Bot was still needed as a go between!_

Lunch Time, Jedi Temple Cafeteria 

_Great! I go from trying to restrain my hands from wrapping around Shorty's neck to trying to restrain my stomach from returning what I ate this morning the way it came! _Xander thought as he stood in line with the other trainees waiting for the meal of the day.

This had been yet another hurdle he was just beginning to get something of a handle on but everyone else in the Temple knew enough about him to still keep a clear path to the bathroom open for him. Not only was he not able to identify most of what they served here but the stuff that bore a half decent resemblance to Earth food tasted completely different from what he remembered. In any case this combination had resulted in more than one occasion where he got seriously sick to his stomach and forced him to make a dash for the bathroom. The first time it had happened they had taken him to the med bay for a full work up which he had done his best to repress soon after. In the end it was theorized that either his unique physiology made for equally unique dietary needs or his body just needed to adjust from the food he knew to the food that existed here. In any case it had pretty much taken a series of trial and error tries with several different types of food before he found something he could conceivably have for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Some of the food he chose still made him a little queasy if he ate it when it was too new or too old but the kitchen staff made sure to give him only the good stuff. He suspected they just didn't want his 'accidents' to make people too wary of of what they were eating or worse look elsewhere for something to eat. The cooks in the Temple might not make a profit serving food but they took pride in their work which made him throwing up or spending an abnormal amount of time in the bathroom seriously not of the good.

In any case though he had already made a mental list of what foods he could consume safely and which ones were more painful than death to try and eat. Once he had placed what he wanted on the tray he went to find a place to sit and eat and almost immediately wished he had waited another twenty minutes before coming to eat. This was because of who he saw sitting roughly in the middle of the room and seemed to be waving to try and get his attention. Deciding to tray and make it look as though he hadn't seen her he tried to make it to the door in the hopes that he could find a nice bench somewhere in the Temple where he could eat his lunch in peace. Unfortunately he didn't get two steps before his tray suddenly lifted into the air and before he could make a grab for it the tray began to fly swiftly through the air in the one direction he did **not** want it to go. For a moment he simply stood there debating whether or not it would be worth it to just get back in line and get all his food selections again. In the end though he decided that **she** would probably just wind up stealing that one as well and if he tried to get one of the higher ups to make her stop she would just give the 'I was just practicing levitation sir' excuse again. So resigning himself to his dastardly fate he walked over to where both his tray and the woman who had stolen it awaited him.

"Hey Xander! What brings you over to my table?" asked the crimson female Twi'lek with a smile that was way too cheery and innocent looking.

"Like you don't know Rreya. Have I done something to offend you or do you just take a perverse amount of pleasure in making my life difficult?" Xander replied with perfect politeness even though he was conveying his annoyance in his eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about fellow padawan. You just looked like you were trying to find a place to sit down and I decided to help you." Rreya replied with a look of pure innocence confirming that she was an excellent actress.

She had been a lingering reminder of his first day's humiliating little incident in the women's changing room and he was beginning to think that she would never leave him alone. Virtually all of the women who he had accidently walked in on that day had been satisfied with a simple apology from Master Windu and had let the matter end right then and there. Rreya on the other hand seemed to want more and so each and every time they had encountered one another she had made a point of trying to make him blush or annoy him in some way. At first it was just simple and innocent references to the incident itself or some remark at how fit he was which he knew was a subtle hint of how he had been dressed when he had gone into the locker room. As the days went by however she got more inventive with her games and he was forced to get more resourceful with how he kept himself from chasing after her with a blunt object or training lightsaber. Training lightsabers were nowhere near as harmful as those used by full-fledged Jedi Knights or Masters but they did deliver quite a shock to those on the receiving end. Unfortunately if he had given into such vengeful impulses he would have had to endure and hour long lecture from **each** of his instructors on how he had to control his emotions better. That alone was reason enough to keep calm and try to remain impassive no matter how she tried to get under his skin. Still there were certainly some days when he almost preferred the scolding lectures to her antics.

Almost.

"Yeah well next time you want to be helpful maybe you could go pay off a debt I owe to a certain Hutt I know. I hear he's looking for a new dancing girl." Xander said completely serious in how he spoke but if you knew him well enough you could detect a certain amount of mirth in his eyes.

"Nah! He couldn't afford to keep me around. Besides why should I help you pay off your debts? It's not my fault your too stupid to bet on the right pod racer." Rreya said not phased in the least by his dancing girl comment.

It was an unfortunate fact of the universe that Twi'lek females were slaves almost from the moment they were born and were seen by many cultures as a status symbol. In fact it was a well known fact that the Twi'lek senator's "aides" were little more than arm candy and a way to show off his wealth. While there were few females that were officially free they did exist and generally got quite put out when someone made a 'dancing girl' reference. Fortunately every Twi'lek female from padawan learner to Jedi Master in the Temple had more restraint and self-control than that. For Rreya though she knew he wasn't serious about the comment as he had used it a few times before to try and get her to shut up or leave him alone. It had almost worked the first time he had used it but then she had seen through his ploy and just responded by asking him if he would shrink as he got older until he matched Master Yoda in height. That bothered him a bit as he really didn't know what to expect as far as his new two thirds human and one third Yoda body. Neither did the Jedi healers or doctors for that matter which was why they had him come in for a check up every two weeks to check on his health among other things. He repressed a shudder as he remembered some of the less than pleasant methods that had been employ during the course of his examination. He hoped eventually that they would declare him hale and hearty and stopped poking him in uncomfortable places because he was starting to become serious phobic about infirmaries, hospitals and doctors.

"Hey! I'll have you know that humans are making a comeback in pod racing." , Xander said pretending to take offense at her jab at her

"Oh yeah! Name one human whose actually managed to win a pod race." Rreya said rhetorically while daring him with her eyes to come up with an answer.

"Anakin Skywalker." Came an unfamiliar voice to their right.

Turning to the source of the voice Xander took in a human male about the same age as the rest of them dressed in padawan clothing and with the standard braided rope of hair dangling on the right side of his face. The braided hair design was common with humans of either gender who became padawan learners in the Jedi Order. Fortunately though he had managed to avoid this fashion faux pas as long as he made sure to keep his hair no more than shoulder length. From the looks of this sandy haired teenager though he hadn't been so lucky and was most certainly aware of how it looked on him. Still he seemed alright though if Xander was any judge so he moved down the bench he was sitting on to give the new guy some room.

"Who? I never heard of this Anakin Skywalker." Rreya said as she looked over the fellow padawan who had interfered with her verbal sparring match with Xander.

"He was the kid that won the Boonta Eve Classic pod race on Tantooine five years ago." , the guy said as he took the offered seat and sat down with his tray, "He wasn't a day over nine years old but he managed to out race every other racer there including the reigning champion Sebulba."

"Oh please! There's no way that a kid could win a pod race much less survive one." Rreya declared confidently as she clearly didn't believe this guy's story.

"Unless he was Force sensitive." Xander said as he began to feel that there was more to this padawan's tale than he was letting on.

"Even if that was the case the chances of the kid actually being able to wield the Force under those conditions is slim at best." Rreya said apparently not willing to let up on her side of the argument.

"Still I think that's how he did it. I also heard that he was admitted soon afterwards into the Jedi Order to receive training." The teenager said managing to remain perfectly calm but Xander could literally sense that a bombshell of information would soon be dropped.

"Not a chance. It is against the rules of the Order to admit anyone past the age of five. Only Green Skin here has been able to get past that rule and that was only with the special permission of the High Council." Rreya said starting to get a little mad at this young man's continuing to perpetuate a lie about humans being capable of winning a pod race.

"Really?" the young man said with genuine surprise as he looked Xander over carefully.

"Yeah. I'm not sure about all the details though. Personally with the sense of direction he has I think he's going a little bit longer than the rest of us to become a Jedi Knight." Rreya replied triumphantly as she had finally manage to gain the advantage over this newcomer.

"Oh I wouldn't say that. I'll have you know that just yesterday Master Yoda said 'potential you have' during one of my meditation classes." Xander said with pride knowing that praise from the oldest Jedi in the Order was hard to come by.

"Yet notice how Master Yoda didn't say what exactly you had the potential for." , Rreya said with a humerous look in her eyes, "For all you know he thinks you have the potential to be a good impersonator of a rock."

At this crack the unknown padawan chuckled and while the female Twi'lek seemed to take a certain amount of satisfaction in her ability to turn one of his positives into a negative. For him though it was just another lost round of verbal sparring with her but he knew there would be others as he raised his glass to finish off his drink. It went on like this for about half an hour before all three of them were finished eating and exited the cafeteria to go to their respective classes. For Xander that meant a round of lightsaber exercises from Master Windu and then a class with Master Tiin for a lesson in tactics after which would be supper time. Hopefully he would be able to get his food, eat it and be gone before Rreya DeFainia showed up to once more make his meal thoroughly unenjoyable. As he began to walk away though he recalled that he had not asked the sandy haired teenager what his name was and figured it might be a good idea to have some back up against his Twi'lek nemesis.

"Hey! What's your name?" he asked as he turned around and out of the corner of his eye he could see that Rreya had done the stopped to hear the answer.

"Anakin Skywalker." The former experienced pod racer turned padawan replied before walking down the hallway the ultimate victor of the war of words.

Needless to say both the pointy eared Xander and the athletic Rreya were left floored by the revelation and wound up being late for their respective lessons. However it was safe to say that neither of them intended to be left unprepared for the next time that they met the tricky padawan Skywalker and resolved to learn as much about him as they could. There was no way that they were going to wind up losing to him a second time in what had become their own personal forte and primary means of competing with one another.

Main Gym, Jedi Temple, An Hour and a Half Later 

"Focus Padawan! Stretch out with your feelings. Let the Force guide your actions" Master Windu commanded as a helmet wearing Xander tried his best to follow his teacher's instructions.

Xander had arrived a little over fifteen minutes late and Master Mace Windu was making him pay for every single minute by setting the training remote two levels higher than usual. When the former Zeppo had asked why he had done this the Jedi Master had responded by saying that perhaps the technique would come to him quicker if he was under more pressure. He hadn't really believed that reason but he was the padawan and Mace Windu was the Master so without a more physical reason he had to accept whatever he got.

As another tiny blaster bolt scorched his thigh he redoubled his efforts to quiet his mind and listen for the sounds of the remote while he tried to seek it out with the Force. He knew he could do it as several times in past exercises with the remote he was indeed able to feel out where the device was without using his eyes. Those times when he had been able to sense the training device however were brief and enabled him to only deflect two or three bolts before the fourth and fifth got him. It was like being in the middle of a dense fog with an adversary hiding within it who is able to wrap it around him like a cloak. He was able to catch brief glimpses of his foe but just as quickly as he is seen the remote disappeared from his mind leaving him vulnerable to any follow up attacks. Now though instead of being able to deflect three out of five shots by the device he was lucky if he managed to block one out of five. He was beginning to get upset with his lack of progress but did his best to keep his focus and pushed the emotion to the side knowing that it would not help him one bit. No matter what universe he was in the basics of combat were pretty much the same and one of those basics was that getting angry only clouded your judgment and made you sloppy. Only a calm, focused and alert mind would prevail in battle and since dying was not of the good he would do his best to remain in control of his emotions.

_It ain't gonna be easy though these bolts really sting!_ Xander thought to himself as two more bolts hit him.

Taking a deep breath he emptied his mind of all unnecessary thoughts and let his emotions waste away until they were no more. Once his focus was at its greatest he reached out with his mind and attempted to feel out the position of the remote that he could hear swiffing back and forth around him. He pictured himself in a dome like structure with each square foot indicated by a yellow square both on the roof and on the floor. With his amateurish ability to use the Force he searched for the remote square foot by square foot using the sounds the remote made to narrow down the possibilities. Just as he was about to attempt another method of detecting the remote he suddenly felt as though the entire room had just come into focus making the device's location clear as day. Bringing his training lightsaber to bear it was almost like putting his arms on auto-pilot as they seemed to move of their own accord shifting the position of the blade to deflect not one or two shots but all five in the space of as many seconds. For a brief moment he considered being elated at his small achievement but quickly clamped down on that though as he knew emotions would likely cause him to lose it.

Sadly that one moment of conflict was all that was required for him to lose the clarity that had allowed him to block those five shots leaving him open for three more to hit him in the ass.

"Don't let go of that focus! You connection to the Force was strong there for a moment. Try to recapture that strength!" Mace Windu bellowed from somewhere to Xander's right.

Growling mentally he tried to do just that but then almost swore he heard Master Yoda telling him 'do not try, there is no try, do or do not' as Shorty often did whenever Xander used the word 'try' in reference to an exercise. According to the green skinning garden Gnome both thinking and speaking the word 'try' automatically set a Jedi up to fail at whatever his task was at the moment. One must think of actions and tasks in terms of do or do not as they were more definite whereas 'try' was more iffy and unstable. It made sense when compared to the idea that if you think you're going to fail then you probably would. Still it is not going to be easy when you honestly didn't know what you were capable of and apparently there weren't any real defined limits to what the Force could do. Apparently it all depended on the individual Jedi as to what they could or couldn't do with one or two abilities being singled out as a person's specialty. For some like Master Windu it was their skill with a lightsaber while with Master Yoda it was his ability to lift immense objects. It was too early in his own training to tell what particular abilities he would specialize in but he would do his best to make lightsaber dueling one of them if for no other reason than prove to Master Windu that he could do it.

The training with the remote went on for another hour before Master Windu took a course of action that surprised Xander although he did his best not to show it.

"I think it is time to see how you perform against a live opponent padawan." Master Windu stated as he summoned a practice lightsaber to him from its place on a bench.

"Don't you think this is a little early Master. I just started learning how to use a lightsaber under you six months ago." Xander stated as he began to feel a little afraid at what was about to happen as he took off the helmet he had been wearing.

"Don't worry padawan. No one has ever been seriously hurt by this type of lightsaber and I assure you that I will not fight at my fullest." , Windu said calmly and attempted to pass some of that calm onto Xander, "Think of this merely as a test of your progress to see if you have managed to grasp the basics."

_The only thing I'll be grasping when this is over with will be my arms and maybe by backside as it is about to be kicked right now!_ Xander thought to himself as he brought his blue lightsaber up in the standard guard position that he had been taught on the first day.

Once Master Windu was ready they saluted each other and almost the second that was done the Jedi Master attacked like lightning. Out of reflex more than any real conscious thought he brought his training saber up to block the first attack and stepped back two feet in order to enable himself to block the second. Deciding that the only way he was going to get out of this whole was to show that he had actually made progress and that meant showing both defensive **and **offense. Parrying aside one of Windu's lunge's he went on the offensive with a series of short and swift slashes meant to force an opponent to retreat. He was surprised when he found himself actually succeeding in pushing his teacher back with his tactic but was not given time to pat himself on his back as the foremost lightsaber duelist in the Order quickly turned things back in his favor. With a series of slashes meant to force him to expose himself to attack Xander had no choice but to take several steps backwards to keep himself safe. This went on for several moments with Xander trying everything he could think of to gain some kinda of advantage against such an experienced opponent. He was doing the best he could to employ the basic attack and defend techniques that he had been taught while at the same time using the Force to keep his speed, strength and anticipatory ability to stay in the game but at best it was keeping the training saber in his hands. It was clear from the grin on his face that Windu wasn't even trying and was expending the same amount of energy as one would brushing their teeth. He on the other hand was starting to feel the burn as he did his best not to get his butt whupped and figured he had about twenty minutes before he started getting sloppy.

_There has got to be a way I can turn things back my way for awhile._ , Xander thought as he brought his saber into a horizontal block position above his head, _After all I've made a career with Buffy and the others beating big bads who had us totally screwed in terms of power and skill. Mostly though that was because we thought outside the box and had an absurd amount of luck on our side. WAIT! That's it!_

He had a move in his bag of tricks that he had picked up from one of his other Jedi teachers that just might surprise Master Windu and allow him to make one move to turn the tide back in his favor. The only problem was he had only heard an explanation of how to do this move and had yet to actually practice the move in live combat. It was kinda like having someone tell you the proper way to swing a baseball bat in order to hit a home run then trying it himself. The chances of you managing to actually duplicate the swing exactly and hit a home run was slim at best and only random chance would decide whether or not he would be able to pull it off. Still he had been absurdly lucky back when he was in Sunnydale after all how else could you explain how he managed to dodge death again and again when facing demons of impressive power. He just hoped that his luck would come into play now otherwise he would not only lose but he would humiliate himself both in front of his teacher and the other students in the room. Bringing the tranquil calm of the Jedi to the forefront of his mind as Master Yoda had taught him he drew on the power of the Force amidst the skilled advances of Windu and after a small skip backwards he launched himself high into the air to land behind Master Windu. Not wasting a moment he moved forward and placed the tip of the training saber just an inch away from the Jedi Master's back.

"Game, set and match Master Windu. Even you wouldn't be able to get out of the way of my thrust without receiving some pretty serious damage." , Xander said trying to keep his smugness under control as it was not very Jedi-like behavior, "So what do you think of my little surprise? I wasn't sure I would be able to manage a half-decent Force Leap much less be able to land behind you like this."

"Impressive. However do not think that this match is over young padawan." , Windu said before spinning and slashing with his own saber knocking Xander's saber out of his hand with such speed as to little more than a blur to the Zeppo, "When facing one who has the Force as an ally the battle can be won or lost in an instant. Do you understand?"

"Perfectly." Xander said as he massaged his wrist as it was still a bit sore from the strength behind Master Windu's winning attack.

"Still you have shown an acceptable amount of skill with the basic techniques of using a lightsaber and I believe that you are ready to proceed to the next stage of your training." , Master Windu said as he walked over to where the practice sabers were stored and put his down, "Still as you seem somewhat fatigued by our duel I will give you a few moments to rest and then we will proceed with your instruction. Return here in one hour."

With that the Jedi Master stalked off leaving Xander breathing somewhat heavily as the heat of battle wore off and any adrenaline he had been riding on faded. Doing the same as Mace he put his training saber away and moved over to one of the benches lining the wall to rest a bit and worry over what his teacher would spring on him next. He had only a few moments to do so however before a white towel was thrown on his head by someone obscuring his sight as well as hiding his face. Pulling off the towel he looked around to find out who had thrown that to him and immediately wished that he had kept the towel on his head. At least then he wouldn't have to see the swaying hips and arrogant smile of one crimson Twi'lek named Rreya coming his way using her own towel to wipe herself down.

"Is it coincidence or are you following me around on purpose?" he asked as he used what had been tossed on his head while still looking at the woman as she approached him.

"I don't know what you are talking about. I just thought I would get in some saber practice in before my next class and just happened to see you dueling with Master Windu." , Rreya said as she sat down next to him with her smile still planted firmly on her face, "Nice Force leap by the way. If that had been anyone but Master Windu you would have had them."

Xander was momentarily taken aback by the compliment but quickly recovered and said "Yeah well I still lost. On the bright side though at least I'm lucky enough to have the undisputed master of the lightsaber as a teacher. If I even manage to become half as good as him I should be able to handle anything that comes my way when I become a Jedi Knight."

"Getting a little ahead of ourselves aren't we? There's no guarantee that you'll even make it to the level of Knight much less become that good with a lightsaber." , Rreya said making it clear she thought he was having delusions of grandeur, "After all I expect you'll get yourself killed on your first off world mission with one of the Masters. Don't worry though because I am sure it will be a memorable death."

"Why thank you for that little ray of sunshine!" Xander replied sarcastically as he gazed about the training area watching other padawans train and practice with training sabers.

However he soon came upon a learner he recognized and was somewhat interested to see how one Anakin Skywalker did using a training saber. He had been quite curious about the only other padawan to enter into training inside the Jedi Temple well past the age limit. Why had the Masters on the High Council allowed him to be trained? Were there special circumstances involved like there was with his own admittance into the Order? It made for an interesting puzzle and one he was determined to figure out when he had the spare time to do some research. He hadn't learned much from his occasional question to Master Windu beyond the basics though. Apparently Anakin had been found on Tatooine by Master Qui Gon Jinn and then padawan Obi Wan Kenobi while they were escorting the former queen of Naboo Padme Amidala to Corusant. Master Windu had seemed somewhat reluctant to elaborate on the matter and had tried to bring his focus back to his lessons. He knew there was more to it than that but decided not to push as it would likely only lead to them securing and perhaps removing the clues he need to solve the puzzle that was padawan Skywalker. That is if he could find time outside of his other hobby which was the mystery of the Sith that had been whispered about by some of the Jedi within the temple. He was certain that the High Council wanted to keep the re-emergence of the Sith a secret so as not to scare the younglings or cause news of it to spread outside of the temple. However with news this big it was only a matter of time before it spread to others and the rumors began to circulate about what it could mean for the Order. Apparently when the Trade Federation erected a blockade around Naboo they soon after received the aide of a Sith Lord in their pursuit of Queen Amidala. The Sith had eventually been dispatched by Padawan Kenobi but not before the Dark Side user slew Master Qui Gon in a duel. Now the question that was circulating was 'Was it the Master that was killed or just the apprentice?' as it seemed that the Sith only existed in pairs. They used this tactic to remain invisible to the Jedi and other Force users as it would allow them to proceed with their plans unnoticed. With the uncertainty as to who had been slain and who was still alive Xander had no doubt that everyone would be extra wary of what went on around them.

His current going theory though was that it had been the apprentice that had been killed rather than the Master because it was a well-known fact that the big shots never dirtied their own hands by getting directly involved. It made them look more aloof and powerful if they only sent their minions or in this case minion to handle complications that might arise. It had been that way with the Master, to a certain degree with Angelus and very much so with the Mayor of Sunnydale. Even a uber-bitch like Glory didn't attack herself unless she had to and even then it was only against 'worthy opponents' like Buffy or Spike. If that was indeed the case and the Sith Master was still out there then things would only continue to get more and more dangerous as time went on. It was a well known fact that the Sith hated the Jedi and viewed them as weak fools who stood as obstacles in their quest for power. Ever have those who pledged themselves to the Dark Side of the Force sought to increase their power whether that be power in terms of the force or political power by becoming conquerors of worlds. At least that was what he had come to believe when he read the stories and records kept in the Archives and listened to his teachers talk of the past. What really seemed odd to him was the lack of military build up or the absence of a Sith power base in the making. In all the records he had read so far the Sith have always tried to build up an army or gather allies before beginning their campaign against the Republic. That military usually consisted of conscripts and force adepts that had been converted to the Dark Side and when the size of the army was big enough they attacked with a vengeance. If they were indeed the driving force behind the blockade of Naboo and felt confident enough to make their presence known it was likely they had been preparing and training for at least ten to twenty years so far.

_Then where is the grand army and the raids on the outlying systems?_ , Xander thought to himself as he looked within himself rather than observing the other padawans in the room_, The Republic itself doesn't have a standing military at the moment and even with the Jedi at their best would be ill equipped to deal with a serious offensive. It doesn't make sense to do something and then do nothing for five years when the time was right._

After all as Master Windu was fond of pointing out to him with the increase unrest among some of the outlying systems of the Republic the Jedi were peace keepers rather than soldiers. Their job was to put out the small fires that had the potential to become major conflicts. They weren't soldiers and would be hard pressed to do anything if war itself broke out from within the Republic. Fortunately though there hadn't been a real true blue war in the Galactic Republic in centuries which meant that the Order's peace keeping efforts were usually enough. Still his mind was filled with many questions and he knew that the only way he would find answers would be to continue to research on the Sith and their methods using the historical records in the Archives. He knew that there wouldn't be too much details in the files and that some records may in fact be either missing or heavily encrypted as such actions made sense when you wanted to keep certain tempting info from young padawans. Still he was fairly certain he could gain some kind of understanding of the way the Sith think by seeing how they did things in their previous attempts to conquer the known galaxy. It wasn't much but until he ranked high enough to get clearance to some of the more sensitive files it was the best he could hope for under the circumstances. He was about to continue his introspective thoughts when someone blew in his ear causing his to jump to his feet and look towards the source to find Rreya giggling at him.

"Sorry but you just looked a little too serious just now. I had to do something to snap you out of it." , Rreya said as she stood up and reached out with her hands towards where the training sabers were stored and summoned two of them, "How about we try to do something a little more productive with our time. I'll even show you a few special tricks my teacher showed me that just might make things easier for you against Master Windu. Unless you think you cannot handle it."

Smiling at the chance to show her up and get some payback for her annoying pranks he easily caught the training saber she threw in his general direction before igniting her own and assuming the standard starting position for a dual.

"Oh I think you'd be surprised at what I can handle Rreya!" , Xander said he ignited his own saber and with a little showy twirl brought it into a position that mirrored the Twi'lek female, "Just don't be too disappointed when I win this duel five minutes from now."

"Oh you think it will take you that long to beat me? I guess that's reasonable for an amateur like you." Rreya said with her trademark feral grin.

"No that's how long I plan to let the match go on before I end it in one move." Xander stated boldly before lunging forward and starting things off.

Neither padawan learner noticed that they were being observed from the entrance to the training area.

The Doorway of The Training Room, Same Time 

"Much progress he has made." Yoda stated as he watched his pseudo-son duel with the young Twi'lek female.

"Indeed. I had my doubts but his mind seems unusually quick to accept the teachings of the Jedi. With how difficult it is for a person regardless of race to unlearn fifteen years of knowledge and upbringing I would have thought it would take years before he had reached this level." Mace Windu said in agreement as he watched his pupil turn a defensive technique into an offensive one.

"To the possibilities his mind open." , Yoda stated with intrigue as Rreya flipped backwards on the strength of her own muscles before charging forward, "Sooner than expected ready he may be."

"Perhaps but I still believe we should proceed with caution. I may not have as much say in padawan Skywalker's instruction because of Jedi Kenobi but with Xander I intend to instruct him properly." Master Windu stated with a firmness that struck the little green man as a little odd.

"Planned something you have?" Yoda asked with some interest.

"Yes. Five years ago both of us had significant concerns about instructing Anakin Skywalker in the ways of the Force. He had not lived the best life prior to being discovered and I fear that the life of a slave will dictate the course of his destiny." , Master Windu said without letting his gaze leave his newest and most promising student, "It is my hope that with some intensive training I can make Xander skilled enough in the ways of the Force that he can counter anything Anakin should attempt if he falls to the Dark Side."

"Think little of Skywalker you do." Yoda stated in a tone that said he wasn't quite so pessimistic.

"I prefer to think of it as preparing for the worst. With such strength in the Force it would be very bad if he were to succumb to the Dark Side at some point in the future." , Mace Windu said in a diplomatic manner, "If that happens we must have a means to stop him and I believe that Xander is the solution."

"Perhaps. Time only will tell." Yoda stated as he turned from the dueling padawans before him and walked away.


	4. Harris luck on Muunilinst

_**Two and a Half Years Later, **_

The Elevator Leading to the Jedi High Council Chambers 

_Well today is the day! _ Xander thought to himself as he rode the elevator to the High Council Chambers, _The day I go on my first off world mission as a padawan!_

He had been here on Coruscant among the Jedi for roughly three years both learning about this new world he had been dropped in as well as learning how to wield the Force as a Jedi. It had certainly been a rough three years but over the last couple of months he had finally begun to feel like he belonged here rather than seeing himself as a stranger in a strange land. While he was by no means familiar with everything he was no longer uncomfortable holding a conversation with his fellow padawan learners about day to day topics like the state of the Republic and the latest gossip from the High Council. He also had a good grasp of the more common gadgets and doo-dads that were used in this dimension so all in all he would have to say things were finally starting to smooth out for him. The moment he thought that he had the urge to slap himself as he realized that was the exact sort of thought that certain mischievous beings waited for before acting. True as far as he knew no demons or supernatural beings existed in this dimension, at least not like back in Sunnydale, but that didn't stop him from suspecting that some otherworldly presence would choose to go out of their way to change smooth to rough for him. It was like someone saying 'well things sure are quiet tonight' which of course back in Sunnydale meant that within the hour another apocalypse would be sure to hit the town. In this case however his comment about how smooth things were going would probably result in his off world mission with a Master resulting in a civil war with everyone pointing fingers to him as being the cause.

_Now, now let's not get ahead of ourselves!_ , Xander thought as the doors of the elevator finally opened to admit him to the Council Chambers, _I'm sure that whichever Jedi Master I get paired with for this mission will be skilled enough to keep any trouble I cause down to just a feud between two rich and influential families or businesses._

With his **concerns** about his first off-world mission put to the side for the moment he did a quick Jedi calming meditation to cleanse his mind of any remaining anxiety. Shortly thereafter the door of the lift opened to admit him into the presence of the Jedi High Council just as it had almost three years ago. Fortunately this time he was properly dressed and could speak Basic well enough that unless he tried to use some big words he would be understood by each and every member of the High Council. Master Galia, or grandma as he called her when he was certain that she wouldn't find out about it, suggested he try to learn as many languages as he could as soon as possible as the different species he would meet might be more receptive to his suggestions if he conveyed the ideas to them in the species' own language. Unfortunately for him the number of languages spoken in the Galactic Republic somehow managed to outnumber the number of species that were a part of it by a fair margin. In some cases there were over twenty dialects for a single continent alone and the number only got bigger the further abroad the planet you went. While he didn't believe the High Council expected him to learn **every** language he was pretty sure that they wanted him to be able to pick up a language fairly quickly. Fortunately if he needed to speak to a race whose language he didn't know it was permissible to have a protocol droid present during negotiations.

_Of course that's only if one of the parties involved in the negotiation don't hate droids or object to them being present for some reason._ Xander thought to himself as he proceeded to the middle of the Council chambers, _Master Galia didn't really elaborate on that point other than to say that sometimes mercenaries snuck bombs into them to disrupt or destroy the mediation process. _

"Padawan Xander, that you for coming so swiftly." Master Windu said with his usual confounding tone that defied description or definition.

"It was not a problem Master." Xander said politely while at the same time restraining himself from falling back on Earth American slang.

That had been one thing that he had experienced the most trouble changing over the past few years, eliminating the slang and pop culture references from his speech. Both elements that had been so natural for him before coming here only served to both confuse and in some cases irritate the rest of the Jedi in the temple. He had made a few attempts early on to explain some of the more basic terms and phrases to the people he'd be interacting with on a regular basis but half the time it only increased their confusion. Add to that the few times when he had accidentally broke through their Jedi calm with a word or phrase that for a particular species was offensive and he had resigned himself to conforming to the local's way of speaking. He still **thought** using slang terms and pop culture references but that wasn't a problem unless a Jedi capable of telepathy made an actual effort to eavesdrop on his thoughts. Fortunately it was considered against the code to do such things so the only way anyone could spy on his thoughts would be by accident. That however didn't keep him from clearing his mind or only thinking happy thoughts when certain important or influential Jedi got to within a certain distance of him.

"The time has come for you to gain experience to go along with the knowledge you have gained here at the temple. In most cases a Master would select a padawan from among those thought to be ready for such an assignment but you are unique." Master Windu explained in an authoritative manner, "Due to the method we selected to use to instruct you in the ways of the Force and the Jedi you have been under the guidance of five members of the Council. This is a problem. When a Master is asked to select a padawan learner to teach, it is preferred that they know nothing of the learner aside from their file - do you know why this is?"

"So that the Master chooses his padawan as objectively as possible, basing his or her choice on the padawan's talents and abilities rather than personal preference?" Xander replied as confidently as possible but with a little uncertainty at the end.

This unfortunately caused a round of 'Master looking at Master' between the various High Council members that only increased the green padawan's unease. When several small smiles appeared on some of their lips, though, his unease was dispelled as he took that as a sign that he had answered correctly.

"Exactly padawan. As such though we have been left with the issue of which Master would be able to remain objective enough in instructing you to take on this task." Master Windu said confirming Xander's suspicion, "Do you know of any Master who could meet these requirements?"

_Great! Leave me with the tough choice!_ Xander thought to himself as he kept himself from adding any visible illustrations of his thoughts.

There were many notable Jedi Masters that he had come to admire for their various skills and abilities after watching them in the training room or in the classrooms. Djinn Altis was a wise Master who also seemed to be something of a rule bender when it came to the number of padawan learners a Jedi Master could have as well as the topic of emotional attachments between Jedi. It was said that he even supported the idea of marriage within the Order even though others thought it too dangerous because of the memories it would induce in the Jedi. Xander could understand both sides of the argument from the Council's concern over the emotions caused by such relationships being possible paths to the Dark Side to his own belief that it would only strengthen the Order. Then there was Jedi Master Juhani, who much to his surprise was a direct descendant of the Juhani who fought alongside Jedi Knight Bastilla Shan against Darth Malak, whose loyalty to the Order and those she called friend reminded him of the Scoobies. Jedi Master Shaak Ti was also a fine choice as she was seen as being among the most cunning members of the Order and according to rumor was without a padawan at the moment. There were other choices of course but from the look on the faces of the High Council they were not going to wait for him to think each one through thoroughly.

He was about to deliver his answer when a thought hit him that caused him to hesitate. What if this was a trick question? According to the code a Jedi was forbidden to have either possessions or attachments of any kind. This was done as a preventative measure as such things could lead one down the dark path if they were lost or taken from the Jedi. That being said if he spoke up and mentioned the names of the Jedi Knights and Masters he would like to accompany him on his first off world mission would his preferences be construed as preference? Would they think he was 'attached' to these specific members of the Order? Mentally he shook his head to clear his mind of doubt and hesitation as he decided that it was useless to let his anxieties affect him like this. He would just reply honestly and hope for the best.

"While there are a few Knights and Masters that I would like to accompany me on this mission I believe I will leave the decision up to you and the Council Master Windu." Xander replied with a straight face and a calm voice, "After all you and the others are more likely to see a complete picture of my strong suites and my flaws than I would. A wise friend of mine once said that no matter how honest we try to be with ourselves we almost always look at ourselves with distorted eyes. So it's probably wiser to let someone who sees me more clearly to assign a Master or Knight to this mission with me than to allow me to make the choice."

_There! A large helping of honestly mixed with a kernel of wisdom from an old TV show from home!_ Xander thought to himself as he took in the varied reactions of the members of the Jedi High Council, _Let's see them try and twist that into me having an 'attachment' to anyone or letting my emotions cloud my judgment!_

Unfortunately at least three members of the Council seemed to have thoughtful frowns on their face while the rest didn't seem to think anything of his little 'words of wisdom'. Apparently they either saw it as a transparent attempt to impress them or as an attempt to dodge the question and that would imply fear and indecision on his part. He was beginning to believe that there really was no point in attempting to either mislead or impress a member of the High Council as they could see right through you to the truth. So there he stood and waited for their judgment as they went through another round of 'give meaningful looks to one another' which really was making him think they were communicating with each other telepathically. After all while it was true that between people who have known each other for a long time a look was sometimes all it took to convey an idea or an opinion there was still a limit on what a look could contain. They had to be talking to each other mind-to-mind when they were like this. When their eyes returned to him he knew that they had made their choice and he hoped it was 'we have decided which Jedi we will assign' rather than 'maybe padawan Xander isn't ready for his off world mission after all'.

"While it is true that we might be more objective in the choosing of a Master or a Knight to go with you on this mission it is also important that you be comfortable with that person." Master Galia stated from her position on the left side of the room, "Therefore the Council has decided that Master Windu will be assigned to accompany you on this mission."

For a moment he was genuinely surprised at this pronouncement given Windu's status and reputation among the Order but he quickly locked that feeling up. He had to remain composed and professional about this or they'd probably do something when he got back to put even more emphasis on emotional control. Probably have him stand atop a metal pole with a bucket on his head with instructions not to let a single drop of the water that was within the bucket fall to the floor. They'd even imply that he would only be successful if he retained complete control the entire time of his emotions. Whatever the result of this mission, there would be talk of his being partnered with Master Mace Windu within the temple for a long time and Rreya would bug him about it for weeks. Therefore he may as well take this all in stride and enjoy it as much as he could before the problems and drawbacks became noticeable.

"I'm sure that this mission will be quite the learning experience with Master Windu there with me." Xander stated honestly before his mind caught on something, "So what exactly is the mission anyway?"

After complying with Master Windu's gesture for him to move off to the side of the room he watched as the circle design in the middle of the room slid away to reveal a large holo-projector. A few moments later it activated and an image of a planet was displayed in the center of the room.

"The mission, as you put it, is on the financial world of Muunilinst which is one of the most important economic hubs in the Republic. A zoning dispute has manifested in the storage district between the Intergalactic Banking Clan and an up and coming Falleen business man Prince Xizor." Master Windu explained before the image displayed by the holo-projector changed from a planet to a short bio-file on Xizor, "From the information that has been provided for us Prince Xizor has been accused of arranging for building code violations to 'appear' in structures belonging to prominent members of the Banking Clan. Prince Xizor denies any part in the violations but is moving aggressively to have the Banking Clan's rights to the buildings revoked so he can claim them for himself."

"Is there any indication as to who is telling the truth?" Xander asked as his mind went to work on determining who the guilty party was, "The scheme that the Banking Clan is proposing Xizor is responsible for does seem plausible and the fact that he is making such an effort to acquire those buildings does make him look rather suspicious."

"Based on the preliminary intelligence we have gathered there is nothing significant to imply one party or the other is telling the truth. It may be the case that both of them are innocent and the sabotage is being committed by a third party to stir up conflict between them." Depa Billaba replied confidently, "In any case it will be the job of Master Windu and yourself to determine what the truth is and resolve the conflict."

Xander only nodded as he took the information provided and began to run scenarios of his own in his mind to determine which group was telling the truth and how best to solve the problem.

"We will be leaving tomorrow morning in a Jedi transport. I expect you to spend the time you have until then familiarizing yourself with both species as well as the organizations the represent." Master Windu said with the seriousness the matter was due, "While I will be the official mediator for the two parties you will be expected to watch the proceedings carefully and learn what you can about the negotiation process between two different species and cultures. It is one of the necessities of the Jedi's positions as mediators to be familiar with the customs and beliefs of both parties and to base our strategies around them."

_That makes sense._ Xander thought as he nodded to Windu_, It must be quite a bit different from the way things are done back on Earth. Back home at least we were all humans with the same basic features but here the differences are as numerous as the similarities._

"Then if there is nothing more Masters I would like to begin making preparations." Xander said formally as he knew he would have a lot of reading to do between now and the moment they arrived on Muunilinst.

"Then you are dismissed Padawan Xander." Master Windu said with a nod.

Bowing slightly as a sign of respect and the equivalent of a wave goodbye Xander turned and re-entered the lift. Pressing the button that would take him to the floor his room was on he began to make a list mentally of both the things he would need to take with him on the trip as well as what to download from the Jedi archives. He'd definitely have to download the complete biographies on both Prince Xizor as well as the members of the Banking Clan that would be present at the meeting. From there he would branch out to the customs, beliefs and histories of their respective races to ensure he didn't insult them without knowing he was insulting them. He knew he wouldn't be the one to actually get the two parties to make nice with one another but he was pretty sure that any bad behavior on his part would only make Windu's job that much harder. He just hoped that there wasn't too much information for him to memorize otherwise he'd either lose a lot of sleep reading it all or he'd have sizeable holes in his knowledge of the two groups.

_Looks like an all-night cram sessions just like back on the Hellmouth._ Thought Xander as he looked out into the cityscape visible through the elevator windows.

The Next Morning, Jedi Hanger 

"Master Windu? I think it might be a good idea if I sit these negotiations out and stay here in the Temple until the next assignment comes up." Xander said to the member of the High Council.

"What's wrong?" Master Windu asked with some confusion along with concern on his face.

"Well after the meeting with the High Council I did research on both parties just like I said and from what I found out I don't think it would be a good idea for me to be present during the negotiations." Xander replied as he began his prepared explanation, "From what the Jedi Archives had to say about the Banking Clan's 'ambitious' nature and the superiority complex the Falleen have putting me in the same room as them is a recipe for trouble."

It was the honest truth as Xander saw it and he had made sure of his position before coming to the hanger. He had gone over the information on the two races as well as the specific people that would represent both parties in the dispute. On the one side they'd have the members of the Banking Clan that from the information he had read were worse than the Ferengi of Star Trek fame back home. The only thing they were concerned with was profit and the only thing keeping them from robbing the galaxy blind was the fact that they weren't big on taking unreasonable risks. While there were plenty of projects all around the Republic that they funded and ran themselves they seemed to prefer working in partnership with another party for stability's sake. Still anyone who put the almighty dollar, or in this case credit, ahead of people's lives and futures were not very trustworthy to say the least. If he had to sit in on the mediations with them in the room there would doubtlessly be at least a few instances when he would get angry with how cavalierly they treat the people working under them or the people who would be affected by the outcome of the negotiations. As for the Falleen he figured it would be a double whammy as on one side they apparently believed themselves to be the only civilized race in the known galaxy with everyone else being undisciplined savages. On the other end of the problem their potent pheromones the records stated made them irresistible to the opposite sex regardless of whether or not the opposite sex was also another species. In summary if didn't end up disgusted with the greed of the Banking Clan he'd probably get angry with the Falleen's superior smug attitude as well as any attempts by the reptiles' attempts to mess with his mind using their pheromones.

"While I appreciate your concern for the mission's well being you will not be able to avoid interacting with species you find aren't to your liking forever." Mace Windu said wisely as he placed a hand on Xander's right shoulder, "Think of this as a chance to test your mental discipline. I have heard from Master Yoda that you have come quite a ways since you first arrived here."

_Ain't that the truth!_ Xander thought as he remembered how things were in the beginning.

It had been a big problem for him when he first started his training to become a true Jedi to keep his emotions in check and exude this peaceful calmness that all Jedi over the age of ten seemed to possess. While he hadn't been completely lacking in control it was clear that the level of emotional discipline he had been used to employing back in Sunnydale was much looser than what was expected of a Jedi. It had taken many hours to say nothing of months before he had enough control so that he wouldn't stand out too badly amongst his peers. From there it had been steady but slow progress until it took something pretty serious to make him act in an emotional manner like Rreya messing with his head to see how long he could last before losing control. At present he was fairly confident that he could keep his cool here in the Temple but that was mostly because a rude or offensive Jedi was practically unheard of and so there was no one to really push his buttons. However dealing with people outside of the Temple would be different and while he knew he couldn't spend the rest of his life in the Temple putting him in the same room with such distasteful people was like locking him in a room with Deadboy. The next time the door opened one or both of them would likely be dead and that was what an optimist would expect. A pessimist would expect … well … he didn't even want to speculate what would happen from a pessimist's point of view but he doubt it would be pretty. So while Master Windu and Master Yoda might be optimistic concerning his mental discipline years in Sunnydale had made him more prone at giving situations a look from a pessimistic person's point of view. 'Hope for the best but plan for the worst' was the motto he had followed after a year as a member of the Scooby gang. In this situation though his inner pessimist predicted that he'd probably wind up causing the situation to escalate on Muunilinst and maybe dragging the Jedi into it as well.

"Perhaps so but I do not believe it would be wise to put my control to such a difficult test." Xander stated honestly, "After all I may just make matters worse if my control slips."

"Have more faith in yourself my young padawan. While you do still have much to learn of the Force I am confident that you will be able to retain control during this mission." Master Windu declared reassuringly, "Besides I think it would be safe to say that if you decline to go on the mission now it will not take long for Padawan Rreya to find out."

Xander blanched for a moment at the possible ways Rreya would use this against him before saying "That was a low blow Master."

To this all Master Windu did was look at him with that composed look of his but Xander could see a distinct twinkle in the man's eyes. It was the same twinkle that Rreya often had when she had successfully maneuvered him into a corner verbally without him realizing it until it was too late to do anything but growl at his predicament. So here he was left with two potentially bad choices: either he a) went on the mission with Master Windu and possibly start a small war or b) stay here and endure Rreya's taunting for the next month.

_Gee, tough choice!_ Xander thought sarcastically as he briefly contemplated sending a dirty look the Jedi Master's way before deciding against it.

"Fine. However you will be the one to tell the High Council how a simple property dispute escalated into full blown clan warfare when we get back." Xander stated with resignation as he began to walk towards the transport they would be taking as it had been noted in the briefing materials that he had downloaded into his PC.

"Of course my young padawan." Was all Master Mace Windu said as he fell into step behind the annoyed padawan towards the transport ahead of them.

A Black Cruiser, Unknown System, Two Hours Later 

"So he has finally left the Temple. Excellent." Said Lord Tyrranus as he terminated the connection between his ship and his spy on Coruscant.

A time he had waited for patiently for almost three years had arrived and he would be lying if he said that he wasn't interested in how things would develop from this point onward. At his Master Sidious' bidding he had carefully culled information from his various sources on Coruscant in an effort to learn all he could about any new arrivals at the Temple. Despite the efforts of the naïve High Council it had not taken him long to learn of Master Yoda's 'son' or of the special treatment the boy was receiving. Being taught by no less than five of the High Council's Jedi Masters and being admitted even though being ten years over the age limit as described in the Jedi Code. From there it was simple to follow the progress he made in his training and arrange a few subtle tests of his own to determine if Padawan Xander had certain traits he could use to his advantage. In terms of power it did indeed appear as though the young lad had the potential to rival his old Jedi Master and with Master Windu instructing him in the use of a lightsaber his skill in that area should become impressive as well. However the fact that the young padawan had remained in the Temple up until now limited what he could do to lay the foundation for the one who would hopefully become his newest apprentice. He could not make many visits to the Temple himself since it would risk at least some of the Jedi sensing his new devotion to the Dark Side and thus spoiling his plans. He also could not arrange for a problem to occur away from Coruscant as it would not necessarily result in the boy being assigned to the mission. Thus he had been forced to watch and wait for the chance to properly test the boy and determine whether he was truly worthy or if his informants had merely exaggerated his potential in order to reap the rewards of finding something so valuable.

_This conflict on Muunilinst should be perfect in determining the padawan's emotional tendencies._ Tyrranus thought as he instructed the droid piloting the ship to set a course to the economy planet.

The informant who had just told him of Xander's leaving Coruscant had also divulged the details behind the mission based on the Learner's inquiries at the Archives. He had of course already been aware of the dispute between the Falleen and members of the Banking Clan because the latter was a potential tool for his Master's plan. While he had also considered including the Falleen he believed their intrinsic belief that their race was superior to all others would only hinder the plan in the end. Forming such a wide alliance required that each component be of one mind concerning the overall objective even if their own respective vices played a major part in their agreeing to the plan. If the Falleen became involved it would likely create friction among the various members of the alliance with the potential of breaking it apart completely. No it was better that the Falleen remain in the dark along with the rest of the pathetic Republic about what was slowly taking shape around it.

_Hmmm, perhaps I should take this as an opportunity to encourage the Banking Clan to join my alliance._ Tyrranus pondered as he stroked his beard in thought, _With some 'convenient coincidences' I might be able to both thwart Xizor's plans, earn the gratitude of the Clan and test my potential apprentice all at one time._

With that he left the bridge of the cruiser to spend some time in his personal chambers to meditate on just what form his plan would take and how to achieve his goals right under Master Windu's nose.

Two Days Later, Muunilinst Space Port, Main Continent, Noon 

"Well this is certainly different from what I expected." Xander said as he took in the structures of the capitol of Muunilinst from the outside of the main spaceport.

It had been one thing to see the holo-pics and read the various descriptions of the capitol city of Muunilinst but it was another thing entirely to actually see it firsthand. It was like a glimpse of how the world might have turned out had Rome not fallen but instead rather had risen up to dominate the Earth right through to his own time. Before him stood skyscrapers as tall as, if not taller than, the ones back home but with elements such as columns and pyramid-like roofs that looked like they belonged in ancient Rome.

It was on odd combination to say the least.

"How so Padawan Xander?" Windu asked with genuine curiosity.

"Well there are certain elements to these buildings that remind me of structures that once existed back in my home dimension." Xander replied as he looked around for the Banking Clan speeder that was supposed to take them to the Clan's HQ, "However we are most definitely a long way from ancient Rome so it was kind of odd to see something like this."

"The Force works in mysterious ways my young padawan." Master Windu stated as they finally spotted a droid holding a sign with their names on it, "You will find more often than not that it will surprise you with what it is capable of if you give it a chance."

The young padawan from Earth took those words under advisement as they slid into the backseat of the speeder and were whisked away into the flow of traffic. According to the schedule that both he and Master Windu had hammered out they would first check in at the hotel that they had a room at and then move on to the commerce building. It was there where most of the mediation would take place between the two parties and it was also there that both the Falleen Prince Xizor and the representative of the Banking Clan worked. It was the equivalent of city hall or a federal building back home in that all the major players had an office there or conducted the bulk of their business at that location. Master Windu would then here both sides of the story in person from both parties before they would retire for the night and begin negotiations at nine AM in the morning, sharp. The Jedi Master had wanted to do more but the transport had suffered some kind of engine trouble along the way here and had forced them to reduce speed so the problem could be fixed. It had been Windu's intention to arrive in the morning so that he could get an early start on the negotiations but now any serious talks would have to wait until tomorrow.

_Oh well! It'll give me more time to go through the files I downloaded from the Archives._ Xander thought as he watched the various buildings and people fly by.

He had made a decent dent in the various files he had downloaded on the trip here but he still had the last twenty-five percent of them to go before he could say he was ready for the negotiations. With a little luck he would be so well versed in both species, people involved and the situation that he would be able to be a big help to Master Windu or at least supply any information that might have temporarily slipped the Jedi Master's mind. Not that there was a very big chance of that happening since this was Jedi Master Mace Windu of the Jedi Order's High Council he was talking about here. While not flawless the members of the High Council were considered the elite of the Order and Master Windu was at the top of the list of elites. The very idea that he might forget something important to a negotiation like this was ridiculous. Sure, if Master Windu was as old looking as Kai Adi Mundi or Yoda he might expect the forgetfulness that comes with old age in humans. However Windu was still relatively young for a human being in his fifties when according to the medical droids in the med-bay most humans lived to be three times as old before old age claimed them. So while he would most certainly be tested during the course of this mission by Master Windu to ensure that he had indeed studied up on the important things he would likely be just observing the negotiations quietly.

From what he had managed to read so far this would not be an easy mission since both sides would be willing to use less than ethical means to get what they wanted and might very well disregard the terms Master Windu set down at the end of the negotiations no matter how fair they might be. The Falleen's superiority complex would make them look at Master Windu was though he were merely a child at best and at worst a dimwitted caveman barely capable of coherent speech. While they were apparently willing to entertain the notion of the Jedi mediating this dispute they would still view any suggestions made as being rather pathetic. On the other end of the issue the Banking Clan might be willing to abide by some of Master Windu's suggestions but would likely disregard the guidelines/rules that might hinder profits. Then there was the conundrum of whether the Banking Clan was really letting the buildings under their control slip up or if Xizor was making sure that problems would be found. He was still firmly behind his original position that if there was any wrong doing happening than Prince Xizor was behind it. At first it had only been his aggressive attempts to get the Banking Clan into trouble so that they'd loose the rights to the property in question. However after reading up more on his race and Xizor in particular he was more certain than ever that Reptile Boy was up to something. If it wasn't because he seemed to be even snobbier than the majority of his people then it was the intelligence reports hinting at a new criminal organization forming in the same neck of the woods as the Falleen homeworld. True there was nothing concrete to connect Xizor to this 'Black Sun' group but the fact that there had been a suspicious amount of money being funneled out of his accounts was too much to be simple coincidence.

'Like I always used to tell the girls back home 'we don't believe in coincidences, just catastrophes'.' Xander thought with a small smile as he saw their hotel getting bigger and bigger as they got closer.

He would have to do some 'discreet' digging around on his own time between negotiation sessions to see what he could dig up. He knew that Master Windu would most likely want to give negotiations a chance and learn which of the two parties was telling the truth based on their behavior. Still that would be difficult given the emotional control and facial discipline that the Falleen people had and he doubted that the Banking Clan would have anyone connected to the 'violations' present in order to keep the Jedi from picking up anything underhanded. Therefore he believed it would take some 'after hours' investigation to determine if there was anything that either party was trying to conceal or something they were trying to do to gain an unfair advantage. He would likely approach Master Windu first with the idea of snooping about but he was not sure the Jedi Master would approve of such tactics. After all, the Jedi were supposed to be the most honest and most trustworthy people in the Republic and that was exactly why many sought out their help to settle disputes. Sneaking around at night and 'investigating' people who, at least in their files, appear to be perfectly law-abiding persons was not exactly honest and trustworthy behavior.

_I'll wait to see how the negotiations start and if it looks like there won't be any trouble I'll just stay out of it and let Master_ Windu do his job. Xander thought as the speeder came to a stop in front of the hotel.

Outside the Negotiation Room, The Next Day, Sunset 

"Well that went well." Xander said while trying to reign in his sarcasm as well as the impulse just to go back in there and kill both parties with his lightsaber.

"Disputes such as these are rarely solved in a day my young padawan. Some take anywhere from a week to an entire month to be resolved depending on the flexibility of the two parties." Master Windu said patiently as they walked to the front entrance of the building, "Although I will concede that this will be a much more difficult assignment then I had first anticipated. Still it is important that a Jedi be patient."

"Something tells me it will take more than patience to get those two groups to agree to anything." Xander said and this time failing to keep his dislike of both the Banking Clan and the Falleen out of his voice.

"Try not to let your personal opinions influence your behavior Xander." Windu said sagely as they stepped out under the crimson skies of Muunilinst, "A Jedi must strive to remain impartial in his duties and face each mission objectively. Besides which, letting either the Banking Clan or Prince Xizor see your opinions on your face will likely make them more resistant to compromise."

"Yes Master." Xander said as he tried to lock up his feelings within a titanium safe, surround it in a shield grid and toss the whole thing into the nearest sun.

To say that his mental and emotional discipline had been put to the test that day would have been a gross understatement. Almost from the get go he was on edge as he felt the effects of the pheromones being released by the female Falleen that was Xizor's 'personal assistant'. It was an obvious attempt to get both he and Master Windu to act in a way more favorable to Xizor's position rather than be neutral like they were supposed to be. His control had almost slipped a few times during the negotiations but determined use of Jedi techniques meant to clear the mind and reinforce emotional control kept things relatively peaceful and allowed the discussion to proceed uninterrupted. As for the Banking Clan they reminded him of Ferengi every single time they opened their mouths and attempted to 'grease the wheels' of Master Windu's mind to tip things in their favor. It was clear that there motto was either 'everything can be bought' or 'there is no problem money cannot solve' because they didn't seem the least bit discouraged the first few times the representative of the Banking Clan politely offered 'compensation' for all Windu's hard work. They had seen the first signs of this compensation when they had entered their hotel to find their modest room upgraded to an expensive top of the line suite. When Master Windu had attempted to decline the offer and request their old room the receptionist droid had informed them that the room was no longer vacant and that all that was left was the suite. With his usual Jedi composure Master Windu accepted the room but did not avail himself of the luxuries that were installed throughout the room. He had even frowned when Xander had taken something out of the snack bar and mini-fridge but had said nothing about it. Not that he needed to since it was a well known fact back at the Jedi Temple that one look from a Master on the High Council was the equivalent of an hour long lecture on proper Jedi behavior as far as padawans and knights were concerned.

All this told him that both parties were as sleazy as they came and neither could be trusted to divulge the truth either on purpose or by accident while in the presence of a Jedi. Therefore it seemed that the plan of snooping around that he came up with yesterday would have to be implemented after all. He'd just have to run it past Master Windu first just to see if there was a chance he might support it. He wouldn't say that **he** was going to go snooping but rather that he was **wondering** if some snooping might be called for in this case.

"Master Windu?" Xander said while he watched the city pass them by.

"Yes Padawan Xander?" asked Master Windu as he turned to look at the learner sitting next to him.

"I do not believe we can trust either party to divulge the truth about the situation. Neither of them respect the Jedi very much and both believe it is perfectly reasonable to break the rules so long as they don't get caught." Xander replied as he put his thoughts in order, "If we want to get to the bottom of this we may have to do some 'creative investigating' while neither Prince Xizor or the Banking Clan is looking. Maybe a night excursion to the buildings in question might shed some light on the subject."

"Perhaps you are correct my young padawan." Master Windu said with genuine honesty, "However I still believe if we are patient we may yet see some improvement in the behavior of both sides of this conflict. It is only natural that they would try and influence our opinions of them starting out. Once they see that their efforts have been in vain though they should become more reasonable if only to resolve the situation quickly."

"Yeah. 'Time is money' is probably what they're thinking." Xander said as he realized that while not completely against snooping the Jedi Master didn't want to resort to such actions just yet.

"Indeed. These negotiations require a great deal of their personal attention and time which has to be taken away from their respective businesses." Mace Windu said wisely, "Once the 'pleasantries' are out of the way they will most certainly want to resolve the conflict quickly in order to return their attention to where they believe it belongs."

"Well then I hope they get it through their thick skulls soon that burying us with gifts and luxuries won't tilt the scale in their favor." Xander said as they pulled up to the hotel, "There is only so much oily arrogant posturing I think I can take before I decide to be a little **too** honest with my opinions of them."

To this comment Master Windu only let out a chuckle of amusement.

Midnight, Xander's Room, Emporer Suite, Hotel, Muunilinst 

_Well counting Jawas is getting me nowhere fast! _Xander thought as he stared at the ceiling of his room.

For the past two hours he had been trying as Master Windu suggested to get some sleep but without much success. His mind continued to return to the fact that neither the Falleen or the Banking Clan were going to tell either Master Windu or himself what they needed to know in order to settle the dispute. Without the truth it would likely be weeks before an agreement would be hammered out that would satisfy both sides and even then it would likely be cast aside within a year when one side's profits failed to meet their mark. The only way this conflict could be settled properly and permanently was for the guilty party to be exposed and then forced to give up their claim. That guilty party of course was Xizor in his mind since Reptile Boy seemed just the type to use such scheming tactics and also apparently wanted this to be done and over with before anyone figured out what he was up to. In order to find out what was going on he would have to either sneak into the Falleen's apartment to try to record him saying something incriminating or go to one of the reptile's buildings near the disputed area and look around. If the scale face was planning on ordering his goon squad to plant any more 'building violations' during the negotiations to stack the deck in his favor that is where the thugs would likely be waiting for their orders.

The problem lay in two things with the first being slipping out of the hotel without Master Windu noticing and the last thing being getting inside one of Xizor's buildings without leaving evidence to implicate the Jedi Order. Mace Windu was a Master Jedi and despite the fact that the green padawan had improved in his understanding of the Force he didn't think he was good enough to slink past the bald man's senses. Just like a Jedi could sense where in a room that a training remote was without using their eyes, he knew that Windu would be able to sense him sneaking out the door eyes or no eyes. The second problem was that he was sure that, while a penny pincher, Xizor would most certainly have a fairly efficient security system in place at all of his important buildings. While he might be able to circumvent this system by using his lightsaber to cut a hole in the wall, hopefully into an empty room, the signs of lightsaber use were too recognizable even to non-Jedi for he and Windu not to be implicated later. Such implications would be bad press for the Order even if he did wind up exposing Xizor's actions with what he found or recorded inside the building. In the end he was short on ideas of how to both sneak by Windu and expose Xizor without it almost certainly backfiring on him in some way.

He was about to resign himself to sitting through another few **weeks** of listening to two people try to be more pompous that their opponent when something hit him on the side of the face knocking him back to full alert. Doing the obvious thing and picking up the thing that had hit him in the head he discovered that a rectangular metal container was the object that had hit him. It wasn't overly big or thick. It was no thicker than a data-chip that the Jedi Archives had when you needed to take something out of the Archive on a trip without you. As for size he would liken it to a rectangular cigarette container that all the high falooting guys back on Earth kept in their inner blazer pockets. However once he had finished determining what it was he was left wondering two things with them being 'why would someone hit me in the head with this' and 'where did it come from'. Looking along the edge of the container he did indeed find a seam and that implied that this was a case for something rather than just a flat piece of metal. Using the claw like fingernails he inherited from Master Yoda he opened the case and was somewhat puzzled to find what appeared to be some kind of keycard. Taking it out he examined it from all sides before he finally spotted what he recognized as Falleen script running along one edge.

"No **way** am I this lucky!" Xander muttered to himself as he connected this keycard to his earlier intention of sneaking into one of Xizor's buildings.

Getting out of bed he looked in the direction the case had most likely come from and found that a window in his room was opened all the way. Going quickly to the window he looked up down and all around trying to detect a sign of who might have sent him this keycard. Unfortunately whoever threw the case through the window was long gone and judging from how far away the nearest building was he doubted he'd have been able to make the person out very well. That fact made him wonder how the person had managed to shoot the case so accurately through his window so that it would hit him just right. Could it have been a Force user? Could it have been a **Sith**? He immediately disregarded both possibilities as he was sure he would have sensed someone using the Force to levitate the case over to him even if the person was a block or two away. After all it took quite a bit of effort just to move something across the training room back at the Temple. To move something even as small as the keycard case the distance it would have needed to travel in order to reach his room would definitely have been enough for even a padawan like him to notice and he had felt nothing. Put all the facts together and it added up to one big mystery that both implored him to take advantage of this bit of good luck and warned him that something fishy was going on.

Just then the door chime on his room beeped indicating that Mace was asking permission to enter.

"Enter." He said in a voice loud enough to be heard through the door.

The door slid aside to reveal Master Windu in full Jedi gear with a serious look on his face.

"I have just received an anonymous tip that indicates a possible break and enter at one of the Banking Clan's warehouses within the hour." Master Windu explained apparently not thinking anything odd was going on with Xander by the Window at midnight, "It might be nothing or it might be an chance to resolve this conflict sooner rather than later. I will go and investigate. While I do that I expect you to get ready to meet me there should the information prove accurate."

"Understood Master Windu. May the Force be with you." Xander said as he mentally wondered how in the **Force** things could be sliding into place so smoothly for him.

"Likewise padawan." Master Windu said before leaving the room and then a few moments later leaving the suite.

Now here was a conundrum that was almost as trying as him attempting to maintain his composure in the presence of the Falleen and the Banking Clan. On the one hand he was now somehow in a prime position to go and do the snooping he had wanted to do at one of Xizor's buildings. On the other hand it wouldn't be long before Master Windu either contacted him to rendezvous at one of the Banking Clan buildings or returned to the suite empty handed. However if he didn't take this chance to get the dirt on Xizor now it was quite likely that by tomorrow night the missing cardkey would be noticed and its authorization revoked. However if he wasn't here at the suite when Windu returned he would most likely be restricted to the suite for the remainder of the trip when he got back from his snooping. That was assuming of course his looking around actually produced some kind of results and he left no trace that he was at the building **ever**. Still he really felt like he would find something **big** if he went and looked around the building the keycard was assigned to and being restricted to this room wouldn't be that bad. So by the time he finished his deliberations he decided that it was worth getting lectured and punished by Master Windu if it wound up exposing that lizard.

_Besides for all I know this is the will of the Force._ , Xander thought to himself as he began to get his clothes on and his gear together, _If that is the case then who am I to stand against it?_

Forty Minutes Later, Alleyway Across from a Xizor Warehouse 

_Now according to the numbers and words on the keycard this should be the warehouse it'll work on._ Xander said as he stood in the shadows with his robe and hood on.

It was slightly more modern in appearance than most of the buildings he had seen up close but it still had some Roman odds and ends on it to allow it to kind of fit in with the surrounding architecture. However he noticed something odd almost immediately when he began to examine the various sections and bits of technology that were incorporated into the structure itself. For one thing the security cameras mounted every five feet or so were equipped with some kind of transceiver. Those transceivers followed the movement of each camera which made certain that no area was left unaffected by one of them. The cameras he could understand as they would keep thieves out and make sure no employees walked off the premises with any merchandise. The transceivers on the other hand were a bit more suspicious since aside being used for remote control of each individual camera he couldn't really see a purpose to them. Perhaps they could be used to set off an alarm of a tagged piece of merchandise ever left the premises but you'd think that once the thieves had gotten this far it would be too late to stop them. Other possibilities for the transceiver ran through his mind ranging from triggers for a merchandise self-destruct to the activators for tracking beacons hidden in the shipping crates. Whatever they were though he doubted that they had much of a range. That would imply that they were meant to just cover the area immediately around the building.

_What are you hiding Xizor?_ He thought to himself as he prepared to put his entry plan into action.

First he stretched out his senses with the Force in an attempt to discern if there was anyone alive on the other side of the front door of the building. After all it wouldn't mean anything for him to have the keycard to get inside if there were guards waiting for him on the other side of the door. Fortunately sensing objects that are alive and organic is much easier than sensing a droid or training remote since such objects are connected to the Force. Thus he searched the other side of the door and a little ways around it to make sure he'd be able to sneak in without too much trouble. Lady Luck definitely seemed to favor him since he could sense nothing within ten feet of the door he would use to enter in any direction. With his entry point clear of any living problem it was now time to temporarily disable the technological problem. Reaching out with the Force he grasped the two cameras covering the door and held them firm while their lenses were pointed away from the door. It was something of a strain to hold the cameras in this manner while making sure not to use too much of the Force as it would leave dents in the cameras or even outright destroy them. If that happened someone, perhaps Master Windu, would catch on that only someone using the Force could have damaged or destroyed the cameras in such a manner. Add to that the possibility that there was a central security room somewhere in which a security guard was monitoring everything. If one or more of the security cameras went down he would likely inform Xizor or the local authorities or both depending on his own judgment. As it was he was taking a risk just holding the cameras in place and keeping them from panning back in the direction of the door. However if he did this quickly the security guy watching the monitors might just think it was a temporary glitch in the servos responsible for the panning function of the camera. After all if there were no physical signs of someone holding them in place and the anomaly didn't last for very long then they would have no reason to think of anything else.

So without wasting time he ran across the open space between the alleyway he was in and the door that was his objective. Taking out the card that had been dropped in his lap he slid it into the right slot next to the door and was quite grateful when the door slid open just as he hoped it would. Darting in quickly he waited until the door had slid completely shut before he released the cameras outside from his grip and allowed them to continue their normal function. When he listened and heard no alarms ringing nor any security fields snap into place he breathed a sigh of relief that nothing had been screwed up so far. However when he looked at the interior of the building a foreboding feeling came over him as there was far less room to move around in here than he had originally expected. There was a hallway and it did look like one you'd expect to find in a place like this but it was as if there was so little space to move around because all the rest of the building was needed for something else. Something secret that needed to be hidden from prying eyes and unauthorized people. Compelled to find out what the secret was he walked carefully down the hallway, keeping all his senses on maximum, so that the moment the danger of being discovered began to manifest he could avoid it somehow.

Step by step he moved down the hallway and with each minute that passed he tried to scan past each door he came to both to keep from being discovered and to see how many people were actually present in the building. However he was having an unusual amount of difficulty in using the Force to sense past the doors. That was odd because according to Master Yoda there should be nothing in the Republic capable of blocking his powers even a little. It would certainly make this snooping more difficult but it also heightened his suspicions concerning Xizor and made him sure that something was being hidden here. After all why put special shielding in place to keep Force sensitive people from scanning past the doors unless you wanted to hide something from the Jedi. However it also meant that if he wanted to get the dirt on Xizor he'd have to actually open one of these doors with the keycard. That of course would be a serious bit of gambling since he'd literally have no way of knowing if someone was behind the door he chose or not. Still his luck seemed to be pretty good tonight despite his Sunnyhell paranoia telling him that something was wrong.

As he reached a three-way intersection of hallways he caught the sound of people talking a short distance away and so after pressing himself up against the wall nearest to the sound he used the Force to enhance his hearing. Fortunately enhancing his body's natural senses was among the most basic skills a Jedi had and while it was true that the level of enhancement possible depended on the species of the Jedi it was still pretty impressive.

"…ear about the Jedi the boss is dealing with?" came one voice that reminded him of your typical gangster.

"Yeah. Some big shot and a baby Jedi from what I heard." Replied one that sounded like a cocky businessman.

"Ya think they'll catch on to all this?" Gangster asked with a little concern in his voice.

"I doubt it. Prince Xizor may not have as much experience as some of the others on the market but he doesn't go halfway when it comes to keeping a tight lid on things." Businessman replied with confidence.

"Yeah I guess you're right. Still I'll feel safer once they've entered hyperspace and on their way back to Coruscant." Gangster said with his concerns dispelled for the most part.

_They must have something pretty illegal to want us gone so quickly._ , Xander thought to himself, _I wonder what it is? Spice? Weapons?_

"Hey! Don't worry so much." Businessman said encouragingly, "How about we head down to the main storage room and use some of the merchandise? I'm sure Prince Xizor wouldn't mind so long as we don't leave any scratches."

"Sure. It'll definitely make me feel better!" Gangster said in an amoral voice.

That was the last bit of talking Xander was able to hear as they left the range of even his Force enhanced senses could reach. However that was alright as the two morons he'd heard had just told him where to go and would be nice enough to lead him there themselves. He just had to be sure not to get caught in any exceptionally long hallways where all they'd have to do is turn around and they'd have him dead to rights. Wrapping his robe and hood tightly around himself to prevent any sound of ruffling fabric or other sounds that might give him away he followed the two fools down a series of hallways and staircases. A few times he was almost sure one of the two hired thugs had heard him but any pause in their movement didn't last for more than a few seconds before they resumed walking forward. This could mean that at least one of them was smart enough to know how to sense someone without letting that person know they've been spotted. On the other hand these two might just dismiss anything odd they might have heard as nothing given how Businessman sounded concerning Xizor 'keeping a tight lid on things'. Still until he saw a more positive sign that he had been spotted he'd continue shadowing them until they arrived at the main storage room.

It took about ten minutes for them to reach their destination but when they did Xander had a feeling he was going to need a little more than the mysteriously delivered keycard to go any further. This room was definitely more secure than the other ones as it apparently had some kind of retinal scanner and palm print scanner positioned next to the only door. He supposed that in the other **legal** buildings they used such places to store the truly valuable merchandise and probably some of their credits when necessary. If whatever Xizor was hiding down here was important enough to rate that kind of security then it would be seriously damaging if Xander could manage to get it out or at least get undeniable proof outside. However unless he could figure out a way past the retinal and palm print scan he'd be stuck out here and have nothing to show for his little excursion when he returned to face Master Windu's wrath. Well, that is, as close to wrath as a Jedi Master ever really got.

The two goons were soon granted entry by the security on the door and in watching the door slide from the right side of the wall where the scanners were located to the left side a flash of insight provided him with the solution to his current problem. If he was right the security on the door would only re-engage once the door finished sliding shut. If he could somehow stop it before then without the thugs realizing that the door hadn't fully shut he might able to slip inside. Reaching out with the Force he grasped the edge of the door just as it was about an inch from shutting completely and held it in place. Then while not making a sound he rushed to the door, all the while hoping the sounds of the protesting door didn't alert the idiots, and then pushing the door further to the left so he could slip through he squeezed between the two pieces of metal and got inside. Taking a moment to look around he could only see a fancy looking stain glass wall across from the door that was too darkly tinted for him to see through. Fortunately that was not what he was concerned with at the moment as he looked to his left, then right and then up as well as down to make sure the two goons hadn't been in a position to see that the door hadn't closed all the way or that he had slipped inside. However according to what his eyes could see and what the Force could tell him his prey had moved on shortly after entering and hadn't noticed a thing.

_Ya know if this were Sunnydale I'd start to get worried about how smoothly things have been going up until now._ He thought to himself as he did his best to move silently around the stain glass wall so he could look at the rest of the room.

What he saw gave him an instant case of déjà vu while at the same time making him **dislike** Xizor even more than before. All throughout the rest of the room, some on couches while others on areas covered in pillows, were humanoid females of a variety of species and all of them were wearing clothing that made their intended purpose obvious. Their clothing reminded him of some of the things he had pictured Buffy or Faith wearing when he was in the middle of Math class and needed to go to a happy place. The major difference though was that his imagination had at least come up with something that enhanced their beauty and allure. What these women were wearing was only meant to do one thing: push a male's sex drive through the roof and make sure he walked away satisfied. Humans, Rodians, Utapauns, Twi'lek and Catharian females were arrayed around the room dressed in clothes that almost locked his face in a state of permanent blushing. Add to the clothing that not even Faith would be horny enough to be caught dead in was an assortment of what he presumed was a selection of sex toys and he quickly made a mental note to swear Windu to secrecy whether this panned out or not. If ammunition like this got back to Rreya it'd be a whole year before he would get any sort of peace.

Just then sounds reached his ears and he looked up to see the two morons he had followed coming into the 'leisure area' from the opposite side of the room. Knowing that if he didn't take care of these guys immediately they'd sound the alarm and bring every henchman and guard down on him he thrust his right hand out and threw them backward with the Force slamming them hard against the nearest wall. As the two goons slumped to the grounds the entire group of slave girls started screaming their heads off and acting like a pack of hellhounds had been set loose in the room. He groaned as he knew that their screams alone would likely reach the rest of the goon squad in the building just as well as any alarm would have. Which meant that whatever he was going to do he was going to have to do it quickly or else he'd either wind up dead or captured and used against the Jedi Order in some form of extortion. Making his way quickly through the crowd of women, who thankfully parted for him as he approached, he quickly checked in the direction that the two goons had come from. He was hoping that at least one of the two had something he could use either to calm the women down or perhaps get them to work for him rather than against him. He quickly found the room where they had changed from their work clothes to those horrible silk robe things and began to rifle through their pockets for something useful. He found a few blasters hidden in secret pockets and a few mini-detonators as well along with a vibro-blade but aside from giving him some alternatives to his lightsaber these items weren't overly helpful. However it was when he was feeling around Businessman's jacket that his hand brushed up against something hard where there shouldn't have been anything to touch. Taking a risk he used one of the vibro-blades he had found and cut away the fabric around the object and as soon as enough of the jacket was cut away out plopped a metal instrument of some kind. It looked kind of like a cross between a fancy pen and one of those cylinder-like mp3 player things that had started to become popular before he got zapped into this dimension. On the top was a digital display showing scrolling text written in some kind of Falleen language and while he was able to read some of it the rest was incomprehensible. Then to the left of the display was a series of multi-colored buttons totaling seven in all but that wasn't overly helpful. It was just then that he noticed that one of the cylinder's ends was semi-transparent and when he examined it carefully he confirmed that there was some kind of energy transmitter inside.

_Looks like some kind of remote control or something._ He thought absentmindedly before the predicament he was in clicked back into place and he decided to hurry up.

Looking back at the display on the device he decided that he would read the words he could understand and then from them try and determine if this do-hickey was anything he could use. The first word that was apparently the beginning of a sentence was 'active' then three words scrolled by before he recognized the number '5' displayed in the Falleen's language. It wasn't until the word 'control' slid by that he had his first hunch about what the device was for and with that hunch came feelings of excitement and a glimmer of hope. Using Businessman's coat as a makeshift sack he carried the things he had found including the device he was so excited about back into the main room where the slave girls were still screaming somewhat and looking at him in fear. However if his suspicions were correct he believed he just might be able to stage a little rebellion among these women and stick it to Xizor really good.

"Can any of you ladies read Falleen? Falleen? I need one of you to translate something for me!" he said as he tried to use his voice to cut through the screaming and the fear they were no doubt all experiencing.

Unfortunately his loud and demanding voice only seemed to heighten the terror they were feeling and push the screaming back up to the decibel level it had been at the beginning. Sighing with frustration he decided to try a different tactic by closing his eyes and immersing himself in the Force. He had heard both from his teachers at the Temple and written in the Jedi Archives that is was possible to take the calmness he himself was feeling and broadcast it to other sentient beings using the Force. If he could do that himself now he just might be able to calm them down enough to get at least one of them to co-operate and translate what the digital display was saying. With a cleansing breath he let all tempest-like emotions vanish from within him until only the calmness that came with meditation was left. Once that was complete he tried to picture the calmness leaving his body like a sentient fog and see it cross the room to be breathed in by the slave girls. With every moment that he kept this meditative state up he continued to channel more and more calmness into the young women and as the seconds passed he could hear their screams beginning to cease. He continued for about a minute before he stopped and opened his eyes but he was pleased to see that while the majority of them still looked at him with some fear they didn't seem as hysterical as they had before.

"Okay let's try this one more time." he said as he held up the control device and asked, "Do any of you know how to read Falleen? I need your help to translate what this display is saying."

For a moment the women seemed dumbfound by his request but he figured that their 'master' had probably pounded into them that the only thing they were good for was 'servicing' the men they were told to 'service'. For him, a male, to ask for their help was like God Almighty asking a caveman to help him create a galaxy in that it appeared completely impossible. However eventually one of the Catharian women stepped forward and reached out with her right hand obviously asking if she could hold the device to get a better look at it rather than approach him and look at it while it was in his hands. Deciding that she was probably using whatever scraps of courage she had left from her race to just bring herself to do this much he decided not to push his luck and handed her the device. For a time it looked as though she would have no more luck fully translating the Falleen text than he had but began to think otherwise when he thought he saw a glimmer of fire sparkle in her eyes.

"T-the d-display is saying that all the control chips are active and functioning within normal parameters." The young Catharian woman said as she handed the device back to him with a slightly trembling right hand.

"Then I **was** right! This is the device that controls the chips implanted in your bodies!" , Xander said as the glimmer of hope he had felt earlier expanded into something size of a flashlight's beam, "Now if I can figure out how to use this thing to deactivate them we all just might be able to get out of here in one piece!"

"G-get o-out of h-here?" the Catharian woman asked with a mixture of confusion at the concept of 'out of here' and hope at the possibility of finally being free.

"Yes but it won't be easy. Thanks to that screaming you and your friends made I would wager that if there were any more of Xizor's goons in the building they just might have heard you." he explained while trying not to extinguish the hope that had ignited in her eyes, "However once the control chips have been deactivated and you arm yourselves with some of this gear I took off of those piles of bantha poodoo we'll just have to make it out the front door. Once we're outside there's no way that Xizor's men will risk chasing us or they'll risk exposing Xizor's illegal slave trafficking which is something I doubt they have the courage to do."

After saying his bit he waited to see what would happen to the fire and the first inklings of courage that he had inspired in her eyes. If they flickered out he would have to settle for getting back to Master Windu and having him bring the authorities down on this place before Xizor could cover it up in some way. Knowing that snake face he'd probably blow the place up and then call it a terrorist attack perpetrated by agents of the Banking Clan so he could gain even more leverage to get a hold of the buildings he wanted. He wouldn't care one bit about the lives he'd destroy or women he'd kill in the process so long as all evidence of wrong doing on his part was eliminated. Which meant that arming these ladies and getting them to fight their way out was the best chance for both Xizor to be exposed and for them to be free. As he felt a growing sense of danger through the Force he decided that the time for delays was over and the choice these women had to make need to be made now!

"I'm sure that with your help I can figure out which sequence of buttons is necessary to deactivate the control chips. You must have seen one of Xizor's men deactivate them before when one of your comrades was killed by a client of his." Xander said as he decided to move things along, "I doubt ol' lizard brains is generous enough to want to spend extra money on new control chips when he can just cut the old ones out of dead slaves. Please, all of you, try and think! What sequence of buttons on this device deactivates the control chips?"

The women looked amongst each other at a loss for both words and a direction as to what to do with the choice that they were now faced with. However it was the Catharian woman who decided things for the girls as she went over to a green skinned Twi'lek girl who looked to be a little younger than he remembered Dawn was before he arrived in this dimension. The young Twi'lek was clinging to the arm of a blue Twi'lek woman in obvious fear and almost shrunk away at the Catharian's approach. Noticing the girl's fear the Catharian woman went down on one knee in front of her to diminish the terror her height might cause in an attempt to appear less frightening. She then said something to the Twi'lek girl but she spoke so softly that he couldn't hear a thing but eventually the girl said something back that apparently was what the Catharian was after.

"Sseron said that she saw the man in charge press the dark green button first than the bright red and then finally dark black." the Catharian stated a bit more calmly than the last time she spoke to him, "She said he pressed the buttons in that order while pointing it at .. at her body."

Looking down at the seven buttons on the device he had no trouble picking out the buttons that deactivated the control chips. However while the Catharian had been telling him the sequence he had begun to wonder if there was a different sequence for every control chip. If that was indeed the case then his plan was doomed to failure and these girls along with it if inputting the wrong code caused the chips to explode inside the slave. Still he had a feeling that one way or another if he didn't at least attempt to free these girls and get them away from here Xizor would make sure none of them left this building alive. With time being of the essence he asked the slave girls, beginning with the Catharian, to form a line in front of him and he would begin deactivating the control chips implanted within them. Things went quickly from there on in as he made sure with each young woman that came before him that he aimed the device directly at them and that he didn't press the wrong sequence of buttons. As he did this he could feel the sensation of approaching danger getting closer and closer but made sure that his feelings of anxiety didn't affect his body in an adverse way. The last thing any of them needed was a Jedi with trembling hands or impatient fingers since either of those two things would result in the wrong sequence of buttons being pressed.

Sensing that Xizor's goon squad was arriving at the door he ordered the girls once they were armed to stand on either side of the door with their backs pressed up against it. When it looked like they might have mistook his intentions he told them it would make them less visible to the men when they came in. Taking the position to the right of the door he held his lightsaber at the ready but not with the blade ignited as any sound or unfamiliar light might ruin his makeshift strategy. Basically it was his plan to let the first few men enter and then order the slave girls with the blasters on the other side to attack from their side while did the same with his lightsaber on the other side. With luck they could kill the bulk of the men gathered outside and then charge those that remained while they were still recovering from seeing their friends die so quickly. Hopefully once he and the girls made it past that group it would be more or less clear sailing to the front entrance of the building and freedom. He knew he was being a tad optimistic with that prediction which was why he was going to take point and hope that his skill level with the Force and a lightsaber would be enough to handle any surprises.

Hearing the distinctive hum of a scanner being used he pushed all unnecessary thoughts aside and indicated to the girls with the blasters to get ready to fire while he prepared to ignite his lightsaber. It took a few moments but eventually the door began to slide open and just as he had predicted the men on the other side rushed right in without doing anything to clear the area around the door first. Pressing the activation button on his lightsaber a blade of gold and white light sprang to life and before the guards to put a name to the sight before them he was upon them. In a diagonal slash from upper left to lower right he took out the first goon and then with a spinning move he swept his blade almost completely vertically to chop off the front half of a blaster rifle being brought to bear. The distinctive sounds of blaster pistols being fired met his ears and he was glad that it appeared that the slave girls he had entrusted them could use them rather than dissolve back into broken slaves at the sight of their potential tormentors. Still they would not be able to handle these guys if the men were allowed to recover from their shock and actually formulate a plan or bring any skills they had into use. Using skills born of long hours sparring with either the wise Mace Windu or the graceful but annoying Rreya he continued to disarm or kill the men as efficiently as he could. When he could do so safely he used the Force to throw some men into the others behind them knock all of them to the ground in a heap. It wasn't much but anything that kept the enemy from mounting an offensive was of the good in his opinion.

Eventually it seemed that his plan had succeeded and the bulk of the forces of Xizor sent to investigate the girls' screaming had been either rendered unconscious or killed. Looking down the hallway to the stairs at the other end he could see three goons trying to make a run for it but with a quick thrust of his hand as well as application of the Force and they went to la-la land after being introduced to the wall. Checking the immediate area to make sure he hadn't missed any thug or goon he then turned to the in-the-process-of-being-freed slave girls to find them looking down at the goons on the floor with varied expressions. Some were shocked that they had done what they had while others appeared to be gaining courage and confidence in leaps and bounds. A few though had a slightly darker look in their eyes and he was worried that they might decide to stick around here a little longer than was prudent to deal out some extra payback to the unconscious guards. Such action however would seriously mess up his timetable. That meant he had to get them moving before such thoughts gained any more influence over their minds.

"Come. We need to get to the front door as soon as possible before whoever is waiting for these guys' to report in gets nervous." he said with a friendly urgency, "Catharian you and the ladies with the blasters take point while I cover us from the rear and make sure no one sneaks in from some alternative entrance."

Most of the women seemed okay with this but a few looked at him with suspicious looks and he knew why.

"Look, I know you're thinking that I chose to take the rear in some cowardly attempt to make you take the brunt of any attackers coming from the front." he said in a tone Master Windu had used during negotiations yesterday, "However if I said **I** would take point you would likely misinterpret that as me wanting to be the first to get out of this building so I could run away and leave you to fend for yourselves. So I'll let you decide Catharian, since you seem to be the pseudo-leader of your friends. Do you want me to take the lead or cover our escape from the rear?"

"My name, Jedi, is Sarahari and while I do not know if I can trust you I believe your earlier choice to protect us from the rear is the wiser course of action." Sarahari replied with the passion and fire that Knight Juhani epitomized to him, "**I** will take the lead position."

Nodding to her in acceptance of her choice he stood by the door and waited until the last slave girl passed him before taking his appointed position at the rear of the group being watchful of the walls for surprises of any kind. They were surprisingly organized in their journey to the front entrance and he only had to tell Sarahari which way to go a few times. He figured his scent must still be strong enough in the air ahead of her for her to be able to know which way he came and which way she had to go. The rest of the girls with their vibro-blades and blasters, some of which had been taken from the downed guards, while not handling them like professionals at least knew how to use them decently enough. In a way one could say that they were handling them like he and the Scoobies used to handle crossbows and swords. Not so much with the skill as with the determination not to die while they could defend themselves. It was both heartwarming and heart wrenching to see a reminder of home especially since with a little imagination he could see a resemblance between some of the slave girls and his girls from Sunnydale. Still it increased the optimism that he had concerning whether or not they'd actually get out of here in one piece.

As they reached the front door he got the Catharian's attention and tossed her the keycard that he had used to gain entry in the first place. He then took up a guarding stance facing the opposite direction ready for any last minute goons terrified enough of their boss finding out they had done nothing to scrounge up the courage to do something. He was also wary of the doors they had passed every so often on the way to the entrance he had made use of with the keycard. None of them had opened the entire time the group had been on the move which made him think that either they were merely for storage or Xizor had some sort of way of disintegrating everything in the hallway and the only way to survive was to take shelter in one of those rooms. In which case he and the females he had saved were probably mere seconds away from being turned into smoldering skeletons or ashes depending on the weapon used. Fortunately that didn't happen and a few seconds later he heard the front door open and the slave girls began to rush out to their newfound freedom. Moving with them and making sure they didn't get too far ahead of him he continued to guard the rear of the group.

When they were all outside it was still night and near as he could tell they were alone in the street. What made him overjoyed however was that none of the girls exploded as he had feared they might have if he had been right about each control chip requiring a different sequence of buttons be pressed for each one. Now though they had almost certainly been picked up by the video cameras outside of the building and if they provided a direct feed to anyone other than the goons inside they were going to have company. That meant they'd have to pick their destination quick and move even quicker to get there before any more trouble came their way. He could take them back to the hotel with him but he thought that he'd have a little problem explaining twenty scantily clad females to the hotel staff, the other guests and more importantly Master Windu. Another possibility was to get them to a Republic embassy somewhere here and seek sanctuary there. Unfortunately that was a fairly long distance to run on foot and he doubted all of these young ladies were in much of a condition for a long distance run. That left the spaceport where the Jedi transport he had come in had been docked when they arrived. He doubted the crew of the ship would be there as Master Windu had granted them permission to enjoy the nightlife of Muunilinst so long as they behaved themselves. Seeing as how they were not Jedi but simple ship crewmembers they'd likely behave about as well as he and the Scoobies had at the Bronze so they'd likely still be partying at this hour. He could get these ladies there and hide them inside until he could contact Master Windu and hopefully gain his help in resolving everything. After all it wasn't like he had planned all this and for the most part he was flying by the seat of his pants as far as this situation went so getting some experienced help would definitely be nice.

"Alright. I think we should make our way to the spaceport. I have a ship there where you should be safe until my Jedi Master and I can get things moving with the Republic and locking Xizor up for slavery." Xander said as he began to move in the direction of the spaceport, "We'll maintain the organization of the line and when … "

It was then that he heard the sound of metal on concrete and began to have a very bad feeling that things were going to take a turn for the worse. The sound was coming from the direction the slave girls were moving in so with a judicious use of the Force he leapt over them to ensure that he took the brunt of whatever came their way. Closer and closer the sound came until he could tell that it was in fact three separate objects making the sound and that they were simply making the sound so much in synch that it just sounded as if there was only one. Not being entirely certain what it was that was coming their way he decided it would be best to at least get the people he was rescuing out of the direct line of fire. With this in mind he did his best to usher them as quickly as possible into the alleyway that he had cased Xizor's building from before returning to the middle of the street. Hopefully this would make him the primary target of whoever or whatever was coming this way. He didn't have long to wait as less than a minute after he had taken up his position in the middle of the street the sources of the sound rolled around the corner.

"Oh **MAN**! Now that's just plain overkill!" he said to no one in particular as three droidekas rolled to a stop twenty yards away from him and began to transform for combat.

Taking a running leap he dived into the alleyway opposite the one where the slave girls were now cowering and even the Catharian who had recovered so much of her inner strength looked like she was about to crumble. Deciding he had to get them out of there now or all his efforts would be for nothing he searched through his belongings in his pockets before finding what he was after. It was a data-chip that he had brought with him from the Temple on Coruscant in order to study up on the Falleen and the Banking Clan. It was true that data-chips were hardly unique to the Jedi Order the Jedi did have a type of chip that was almost completely unique to them because of the way data was stored in the Archives. If anyone who had been to the temple or even had some dealings with the Jedi in the past they would recognize the chip instantly.

"Sarahari! Catch!" Xander yelled out before he used the Force to guide the data-chip over to her as quickly as he could without having to worry about it moving too fast for the receiver to see, "Take the girls and lead them to the spaceport. Go to the Jedi transport in hanger blue 23. The entry code to the access ramp is 051905. If you run into anyone around the ship or in it give that chip to them and say that Padawan Xander has granted you all sanctuary inside. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Sarahari replied with a little of her strength returning at the thought of getting away from the droidekas.

"Then **GO**! Now!" he yelled as he prepared himself mentally and leapt back into the street to once again focus the droideka's attention on him.

Not sparing the slave girls any more of his attention he focused it all on his three metallic opponents who from the stories at the Temple were good enough to send a Jedi Master running. Deciding to make the first move while he could he reached out with the Force and ripped one of the security cameras from Xizor's building and hurled it at the lead Destroyer droid. As he expected the droid was quick to destroy the incoming projectile with its laser cannons but that did not deter the green padawan at all. Instead the former Zeppo grabbed another camera and repeated his previous attack continuing to repeat it but each time choosing another of the droidekas as the target. After all if they were too busy destroying incoming objects then they wouldn't technically be able to turn their fire on him and that in his opinion was a **very** good thing. Sadly the supply of cameras eventually went dry and now he had to deal with the droids in a more direct manner than he usually liked. Using the brief time between the destruction of the final camera and the droids beginning to fire on him he reached out with the Force and attempted to bend if not break one of the laser cannons on the lead droid's arms. Unfortunately he discovered that while his knowledge and control of the Force was improving it appeared that crushing things from a distance was still somewhat beyond his reach. It was like trying to bend something while wearing thickly padded gloves in that while you could get a grip on the object the padding prevented you from putting enough pressure on the object in order to bend or break it.

_Damn it! This is **NOT** good! _He thought to himself as he used a combination of lateral dodging and his own rudimentary laser deflection skills with a lightsaber to keep from being turned into smoking Swiss cheese.

His move was something of a gamble but he figured that the droids would wait until they could positively lock onto a target before firing and even though they could likely hit a moving target he had hoped that the enhanced speed he was drawing on through the Force would make him slightly harder to hit. It was temporary he knew as it would only be a matter of time before one of them got a lucky hit in and then it would pretty much be over. What he **needed** to do was find some real cover to duck behind that was strong enough to stand up to laser cannon fire for at least a little while. Looking to the left and right he tried to find something that would meet his needs but aside from alleyways, which would hinder him more than help, all that was there were buildings. Storage buildings like the one he had just helped the slave girls flee from and he didn't want to back into Xizor's building if he could help it. That left the one on the opposite side of the street. To his knowledge belonged to the Banking Clan and probably one of the ones Xizor had planted 'building violations' in. With his choices limited to two he decided that the Banking Clan building would have to be it but first he would have to use his lightsaber to cut open the door so he could get in and that meant he'd have to distract the droidekas first. Grabbing a Force handful of concrete debris that the droidekas had made by tearing up the road with their missed shots he flung it at them with everything he had. However once he was sure that the debris had enough momentum behind them he let go of his Force grip on them and turned towards the door to the Banking clan building and began to cut through it. It wasn't easy because the doors in these storage buildings were built to be incredibly resistant to break and entering scenarios. Even with a lightsaber, which according to all the Jedi back at the Temple could cut through anything save another lightsaber, it was tough and so the cutting process was slower than he would have liked given the situation. Just as he had finished making the first vertical slice and was beginning the top horizontal slice laser cannon fire tore into the wall just to the right of his position making sizeable hole in it.

_Looks like the intermission is over!_ He thought to himself as he briefly looked at his attackers.

Somehow it appeared as though some of the debris he had sent the droidekas' way had made it through their impressive shields and that made him wonder about the nature of said shields. After all why should blaster fire bounce off of it but allow chunks of concrete to make it through. His mind flashed to an old episode of 'Stargate-SG1' where the personal shields of the snake heads was designed so that the strength of the shield was directly proportionate to the kinetic energy of the object being thrown against it. Basically that meant that the shield's strength depended on the speed at which the object being sent against them was traveling. The greater the speed of the object the stronger the shield would be. However the rest of his operating mind didn't give more than passing thought to the problem as it had the more immediate concern of keeping itself as well as the rest of Padawan Xander's body alive. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to finish cutting his own entrance he decided to take advantage of the one that the destroyer droids had made. Deactivating his lightsaber rather than take the time to withdraw it from the door he used all the speed and agility he could muster to jump through the hole in the wall of the building and into its interior. Unfortunately for him he should have been watching where he was jumping because he collided with something just as his feet finished entering the hole ahead of two laser cannon shots. It took a few rolls before the momentum from his jump ran out but when it did he sat up and almost immediately winced at the bruise he knew was forming on his right shoulder. Whatever he had collided with had been seriously solid leading him to believe it had to have been either stone or some metallic contraption. Knowing the Banking clan it was probably some high tech computer they used to calculate how much money they had made that week. However when he looked back the way he had come his eyes settled on something that was the last thing he had expected to see in a Banking Clan storage building.

There laying horizontal on the ground appeared to be a young woman, a very beautiful young woman if he was any judge, wearing a one piece bathing suit and not much else. Roughly five foot six inches in height by his estimate and athletically built as well with … **ahem** … the right proportioned curves in all the right places. With long brown hair she was quite close in appearance to the actress Erica Durance he had seen on a few TV shows back on Earth before he took the Dawnie express to Coruscant. However there was something off about her because when he reached out with the Force to determine if she was alive and relatively unhurt he felt no connection between her and the Force. All living things had a connection to the Force whether that connection was as thin as a thread or as thick as a starship but this young woman had none. It was then that he finally clued into **what** she was. She was some kind of **droid**. It was hard to believe because from what he knew of the Republic almost all droids were completely metallic in nature and any flesh that was put over the metal was obviously synthetic to the average person's eye. It was like telling the difference between your own hand and a hand that was made from a mould of your hand and painted to look like a real hand. No matter how good the painter who worked on it was you could never really mistake a artificial hand for a real one. At least not yet but he remembered seeing something on a holo-billboard on Coruscant about new medical advances being made in creating authentic looking synthetic skin. It likely wouldn't be put into full production for about four decades or so but it was still considered a significant achievement. Anyway, from what he could tell of the 'woman' in front of him the synthetic skin she had was at least in terms of appearance perfect. He bet that unless a person got up close and actually touched the skin to test for body heat they would assume it was real flesh. The rest of her was also likewise authentic looking with the only signs of her nature being latches on either side of her face disguised to look like hair clips.

_That of course leads to my next question as to what she was made for and why she is here._ He thought to himself deciding to label the droid a she instead of using the usual it most people in the Republic used when referring to droids.

As if by divine signal the young female droid's eyes popped open and then a second later she sat up in a surprisingly human looking sitting position rather than the 'rod-up-your-butt' position most humanoid droids used. She looked around the immediate area for a moment as if to familiarize her system with the environment and everything in it. When she laid her eyes or optics on him though she seemed to take a rather unusual amount of time studying him as if she were memorizing all of his facial features as well as scanning him. Just as he was about to ask her what she was doing the portion of the all that was still intact beneath the hole he had dove through exploded inward pelting both him and the female droid with stone. When the dust from the explosion cleared he could see the cause had been three droidekas using their laser cannons to blast a bigger hole in the wall so that they could make it through. Kicking up to his feet he ignited his lightsaber again hoping that the presenting of another potential target would make things easier for him. However what happened next most definitely had not been on his list of things that could or ever would happen in a situation like this. Without any hesitation the female droid reached over and wrenched a metal support beam out of the middle of the room like she was uprooting a newly-planted sapling. Once freed from the restraints of the concrete building the female droid brought it back and in a mode reminiscent of many home run record holders swung the beam hard into the Destroyer droids. While it may not have done much damage to the droidekas because of their deflector shields it did knock them to the other side of the street and apparently knock their CPUs out of whack for a moment or two.

"We should leave immediately. The droidekas' command functions will not remain disrupted for very long." the female droid said with a surprisingly human voice before turning to face him, "Do you have any ideas, Master?"

Now his mind was currently running at full tilt trying to comprehend everything he had seen since he had left his hotel room a few hours ago. For the most part his mind had been doing a fairly admirable job all things considered. However in the moments between him jumping into this room and the femme 'bot talking to him there was only one question that he believed needed answering right at that moment.

"Excuse me? Master!" He asked in disbelief as he looked at the perfectly built and beautiful female android with the strength of a superhero.


	5. Results, Repercussions and Complications

_Hotel, Muunilinst, Emperor Suite, Same Time_

It was with suspicion that Master Mace Windu of the Jedi High Council returned to his hotel room and with good reason.

Almost an hour ago he had left to investigate a anonymous tip that some sabotage was going to be committed in one of the Banking Guild's warehouses and so he had gone to investigate matters. While not entirely optimistic about the likelihood of the tip being accurate he could not ignore the possibility that it might be accurate. So after a brief word to Padawan Xander he had gone to the warehouse mentioned in the tip and had waited for signs of the information being the truth or a lie. Fortunately he did not have long to wait for the relative peace of the night to be disturbed but how it was done was not something he had anticipated. Instead of seeing a group of disreputable looking criminals slinking their way up to the warehouse owned by the Banking Clan the peace was shattered by the rapid fire of blaster bolts being sent from various directions right at him. Fortunately though only half of them had been fired by beings with good aim so by igniting his lightsabre he was able to deflect the more dangerous ones while leaving the others to miss him completely.

It took those firing at him only a few minutes to realize that they would accomplish nothing with long range firing and so he was soon able to see who his attackers were and how many there were when they moved in closer to give him less time to deflect their shots as well as improve their chances of hitting him. From what he could tell they weren't the most impressive nor the smartest criminals he had ever encountered. While they were not the dirty and dishevelled kind that one might see in a spaceport like Mos Eisley they also did not move in a manner associated with professional assassins. They were more the sort that existed in between the two classes of professionals and scum. Whoever they were their actions told him that he had been lured into a trap. However it was also clear that whoever had hired these men had not informed them that well as to who it was they were being employed to kill. While their basic tactics told him that they had probably been told it was a Jedi they were to kill their employer apparently had not told them that they were attacking a Jedi Master or specifically him. This implied that the employer had either underestimated him or did not expect any of his men succeed in their assigned task.

He had not been able to think much on that at the time, as he had to look to his own safety first, but now here in his hotel room he could examine the ambush more carefully. If he had been accurate in his earlier assessment that the employer of the men who had attacked him did not expect them to succeed then what purpose did the battle serve. Had it been intended as a test? No. If it had been intended to be a test of some kind there would have been more variety in both the weapons used and the tactics employed. Had it been meant to delay him for some reason? Possibly as it had taken him some time to defeat all of his attackers and place a call to the local law enforcement precinct. That of course led to the question of what they wished to delay him from doing. If the warehouse the informant had told him about was not in any danger of being sabotaged then what purpose did the delaying ambush serve?

_I had better inform Padawan Xander that I have returned and of the results of the anonymous tip._ Master Windu thought as he turned to the room the Learner was in.

However when he reached out with the Force to determine if the young one was awake or asleep he was surprised to find that the room was completely empty. Moving as quickly as he could without actually breaking out into a light jog he went to the door and opened it hoping that he had sensed incorrectly. However as the door slid aside he knew that such a hope was foolish. At such close range it would not have matter whether the green skinned young man was awake or asleep because he would sense the boy's presence in the Force just the same. Looking about the room he found Xander's sleeping clothes discarded on the floor and the closet open to reveal his Jedi robes missing. The Padawan had gone left the hotel and it took Windu only a moment to figure out when. In his mind he recalled Xander standing in his sleeping clothes by the window when he had first entered to inform him of the anonymous tip. He had merely thought that the boy had been unable to sleep but now that the thought about it the Learner had seemed rather determined about his plan to covertly investigate Prince Xizor's warehouses. With these facts in mind he didn't need to be as wise as Master Yoda to guess where the boy was and what he was doing.

Removing his com-link he activated it and said "Padawan Xander, respond!"

For a moment he received no response and he considered repeating his message but then sounds began to fill the air that obviously were being transmitted his com-link from the one that his Padawan had.

"Master! Now is not the best time to be calling me!" Xander's voice said with obvious tension in his voice, "I'm a little busy at the moment!"

In the background of the transmission Mace could hear the sounds of a battle with the primary weapons being used being either heavy blasters or blaster pistols. His annoyance at the Padawan going off on his own without his permission changed to concern at the idea of Xander being involved in a battle.

"What's your situation Padawan?" he asked professionally deciding that any lecturing the Learner had earned could wait until after he was safe.

"After you left I snuck out and went to one of Xizor's warehouses. I managed to get inside without being detected and followed two of Lizard-brain's flunkies to some high tech vault." Xander replied quickly as though under a significant amount pressure, "Xizor is trafficking female slaves Master Windu and judging by what they were wearing they were not selected for their intellects. I managed to get them outside to safety but then three very big problems showed up and I had to send them on ahead without me."

"Send them ahead where?" Windu asked deciding it would be better to get the answer to this question first.

"To our transport ship at the spaceport." Xander replied before taking time to fire at his unknown attackers, "I didn't know where else to send them where they'd be safe. If Xizor is into slavery then chances are he'd have informants in place in all the right spots to let him know if anyone was catching on."

"I'll contact them and let them know to allow the females on board." Windu said with reluctant condoning of the Padawan's actions, "Who is attacking you? I hear blaster fire."

"Oh just three droidek—" replied Xander before the transmission was suddenly cut off from the other end.

"Padawan! Xander!" Windu almost yelled as he tried to re-establish a connection to the Learner.

Unfortunately no amount of manipulation of the com-link's controls changed the obstinate static that the device was emitting. Turning towards the main entrance to the hotel room a feeling of unease settled within him as he considered the possible reasons for the com-link connection being so abruptly severed. The only two possibilities that he could conceive of was either a communications jamming field had been activated in close proximity to the Padawan or Xander's com-link had been severely damaged. However given the Learner's last words before the transmission had been cut off he knew that it was more than likely the latter rather than the former possibility. While it was possible that he was mistaken he was fairly certain that the last word that Xander had spoken before the transmission ended was 'droidekas'. Leaving the hotel room in a hurry he knew he had to get to the Padawan as soon as possible because regardless of the progress the boy was making with his lightsaber skills he was no match for three destroyer-droids. Even the more experienced members of the Order would have had a difficult time dealing with three which meant he had to hurry or Xander's first off world mission might turn out to be his last.

_Why do I suddenly get the feeling that the majority of the missions Xander is assigned to will in the end be similar if not worse than this? _Jedi Master Mace Windu thought to himself as he pressed the button to summon the elevator.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

_Inter-Galactic Banking Clan's Warehouse, One Minute Before Master Windu's Call_

"Yes Master. My creator, Massad Thrumble, informed me during my last systems check that when I was next activated I would be in the presence of my Master." The human looking droid replied without any synthetic tinge to her voice, "Since you were the only person present upon my activation a few moments ago then logic would dictate that you are my Master."

_Hoo boy!_ Xander thought as the droid looked back in the direction of the three droidekas who seemed to slowly be getting their CPUs back online, _The Harris luck with women strikes again! At least this one doesn't sound like she wants to eat me._

The last thing he had expected to happen when he had jumped through the hole in the side of the warehouse was to wind up the master of a completely human looking droid. In the back of his mind he could feel the name for this particular sort of droid bouncing around up there but it refused to come to the front where he could see it. All he could remember about this type of droid besides the super human strength that this one had just displayed was that they were very, **very** expensive. The exact price eluded him but he was fairly certain that it was in the millions of credits and that meant that only the filthy rich or V.I.P sorts could afford to get them. What one was doing here, outside of a packing crate or something, in a warehouse belonging to the Inter-Galactic Banking Clan he didn't know but considering his current situation he was thankful for her help. Three against one was suicide but three against one Padawan and the droid equivalent of She Hulk might just be doable.

_However she won't last long if all she has to use as weapons is that support beam and chunks of permacrete._ Xander thought to himself as he looked about the room for a safe way out, _We need to either make a break for it or get some long range weapons._

"Do you know if there are any blasters or grenades stored in this building?" he asked as the clock on the time they had before the droidekas started shooting again ticked away.

"My weapons and tools are stored in the vault over there." The Droid replied pointing to a sturdy looking metal door in the far left corner of the room, "However I do not know the access code to open it. My creator was supposed to be present in order to give them to me and explain their functions to you."

Deciding to take a chance he tossed her his lightsaber and said "Use this then to cut the vault open. I'll distract the droidekas as best I can."

"But Master that will leave you without a weapon." The Droid said with concern.

"The Force is my weapon." He declared as he levitated a large piece of permacrete and launched it at one of the droidekas, "Besides I only have to hold them off until you open the vault and get your weapons."

"Very well Master. I will hurry." The Droid said still sounding a little uncertain about taking his weapon from him.

Nodding to her he used the force to lift another piece of permacrete off the floor and send it flying as fast as he could manage at the three druids slowly regaining their sensors outside in the street. He knew that he couldn't keep the CPUs of the three droidekas messed up forever just by throwing permacrete at them but even if he could delay them from firing for a few more seconds it would be enough. He heard the igniting of his lightsaber and figured that the Droid would take at most a minute to cut through the thick door of the vault and less than ten seconds to get her weapons. How effective these weapons would be on three destroyer-droids he wasn't sure but anything that could help at this point would be an improvement.

_And while I'm dreaming here I mist as well dream that there's an E-60R Missile Launcher in there or maybe a Z-6 Rotary Blaster for that matter._ He thought to himself with significant sarcasm as he lifted two large pieces of permacrete and threw them with the Force, _Given the size and shape of the vault and the likelihood that the owner stored more than just the Droid's weapons in there the best I can hope for are two high powered blaster pistols._

Weapons like those might be able to break down the droidekas' shields but only if she focused the blasts on one destroyer-droid at a time. By the time she managed to bring down the deflector shields so the droidekas could be destroyed he had little doubt that what the two of them had in terms of cover would be long gone and they'd be dead. True all this commotion and heavy blaster fire would likely attract the local authorities eventually but if Xizor had any spies in the local police department they'd likely slow down the clean cops by quite a bit. Nevertheless he would continue to use any and every weapon he could get his hands on in the hopes of surviving this crisis no matter how steep the odds were stacked against him. After all he had survived Sunnydale with this way of thinking so why should it be any different here in the Galactic Republic.

The answer to his question came in the form of a volley of laser cannon fire as one of the droidekas finally managed to get its operating system functioning well enough to use its weapons. The only good news that he got to go with the bad news was that judging from where the bolts of energy were going the machine's targeting system was still on the fritz. The shots were heading his way but it was nowhere near the pinpoint accuracy the destroyer-droid had shown when it had destroyed the cameras that he had thrown at it. It was probably aiming manually rather than using its targeting program which meant it was still deadly but not as much as it had been before. Diving behind a sturdy looking metal crate that was in the room he thanked his lucky stars that it was strong enough to take laser cannon shots as he heard and smelt them hitting the crate. The scent of burning metal filled the air near him as volley after volley of laser fire hit the metal crate. He knew he couldn't stick his head out from his sturdy cover without getting it blown off but that meant he would have a harder time aiming his projectiles at the droidekas. After all they were not a part of the Force so he could not detect them the way he could sense living organisms. Unless something really spectacular happened to draw the destroyer-droid's fire away from him he'd have to settle for throwing blindly with the Force and hoping that he'd hit something.

It was when he first heard the sounds of powerful blaster pistol fire that he was beginning to wonder if the Force had finally decided to take pity on him. Looking in the direction the powerful blasts were coming from he was both happy and surprised to see that the Droid had managed to get the vault open and was now firing some serious B.F.G's. They were shaped like the blaster pistols he had seen but they were much bigger in size and looked like they could make Hellboy's 'Samaritan' jealous. There were two barrels on each of the big blasters: a large one on the top that looked like it could double as a grenade launcher and a smaller one beneath it that was more like what he had seen on normal blaster pistols. Right at that moment though all the blasts were coming out of the larger barrel and when he peered around the corner to see what kind of effect it was having he was happy to see that while it didn't pierce the shields it did divert the droidekas' attention away from him. Considering what it likely took to get a destroyer-droid's attention the Droid's weapons must pack one helluva punch. Just then he heard a familiar beeping noise and when he looked down at his belt he saw that his com-link was the source of the sound and that a light was flashing indicating he had a caller.

"Padawan Xander, respond!" came the voice of Master Mace Windu, a voice that was loud enough to be heard over the blaster fire.

Pausing for a moment he wondered whether it would truly be in his best interest to answer the Jedi Master or ignore him and hope for the best. If he answered he would have to spill the beans to Windu about sneaking out of the hotel, breaking into one of Xizor's warehouses, freeing the female slaves AND being up to his neck in trouble. On the other hand if he didn't respond there was a very good chance that even with robo-girl's new toys they might be blown to bits. In the choice was a simple one: respond and get punished or do not respond and likely get killed.

A no brainer if he ever heard one.

"Master! Now is not the best time to be calling me!" he said after accepting the connection with the Jedi Master's com-link, "I'm a little busy at the moment!"

There was a pause before Windu asked "What's your situation Padawan?"

"After you left I snuck out and went to one of Xizor's warehouses. I managed to get inside without being detected and followed two of Lizard-brain's flunkies to some high tech vault." He said trying to be as honest as he could without making himself look too bad, "Xizor is trafficking female slaves Master Windu and judging by what they were wearing they were not selected for their intellects. I managed to get them outside to safety but then three very big problems showed up and I had to send them on ahead without me."

"Send them ahead where?" Master Windu asked with some concern.

"To our transport ship at the spaceport." Xander responded before looking around the edge of the crate he was using for cover to see how the Droid was fairing, "I didn't know where else to send them where they'd be safe. If Xizor is into slavery then chances are he'd have informants in place in all the right spots to let him know if anyone was catching on."

"I'll contact them and let them know to allow the females on board." Master Windu said before asking, "Who is attacking you? I hear blaster fire."

"Oh just three droidek—" was all he could get out before a stray shot from newly functional droideka number two hit the top of the com-link destroying it and giving him some moderate burns.

"Master? Are you okay?" asked the Droid while keeping her eyes and weapons trained on the droidekas.

"Yeah. Just some light burns. Nothing your basic med-kit can't handle." He replied even though the burns were slightly worse than he made them out to be, "My Jedi Master now knows the situation and should be along shortly with help. We need only survive until then."

"Acknowledged." The Droid replied as she resumed firing on the droidekas from her own bit of cover which turned out to be what used to be the door to the vault.

_Definitely need to broaden her vocabulary._ Xander thought as he looked around for something to use as a weapon.

He noticed that the Droid had clipped his lightsaber to the gun belt wrapped around her waist and for a moment pictured adding a leather jacket and maybe some sunglasses to her current attire. With those clothes on she'd look like something right out of a comic book back home right up there with Wonder Woman and Batgirl. Shaking his head somewhat to clear that train of thought from his brain he returned to the job at hand and that was to deal with the three killing machines. Looking at the ground in front of the hole that the destroyer-droids had made in the side of the building he took stock of how many things he still had to throw at them with the Force. Unfortunately aside from the support beam that the Droid had used to bat them out of the building and a few skull-sized pieces of permacrete he had already used all the good stuff. With this in mind he expanded his search to the rest of the room for something else that could prove useful. There were a few mechanical devices placed around the room and while some seemed to be here just for storage the rest showed signs of recent use. Some of them he might be able to lift off the ground as he did the permacrete but he didn't think he'd be able to throw them far enough given how heavy they looked.

_They'd definitely be harder to move around than a lightsaber and **much** harder to lift than the permacrete._ He thought to himself as he remembered the classes he had taken in Force levitation, _There **has** to be something useful here somewhere!_

Looking around he stopped when he noticed a dark object still in the vault where the Droid had retrieved her B.F.Bs(big frickin' blasters) from and 'hmmm'ed. While his knowledge of Republic tech had improved greatly in the past three years he knew there was still quite a bit he still didn't know. Nevertheless when he looked at the object in the vault the first thing that came to mind when he tried to match a name to the item was 'power core'. It didn't look like it belonged in a blaster but something more like a computer or maybe a droid of some kind. Deciding to take a leap of faith he summoned the object to his hands with the Force and began to examine it more closely. It was definitely a power core judging from the shape and the various plug-in holes along the sides. Flicking a switch in the back he was gratified to see a tiny light on it start blinking that he hoped meant that it was activated and fully charged. The loose plan he had formed in his head was a crazy one but at the same time he thought it just might even the odds for the droid and him.

_Only one way to find out!_ He thought to himself as he threw the power core in the general direction of the droidekas before yelling, "Droid lady! Shoot the target!"

For a moment he wasn't certain that the droid would understand what he wanted her to do but when a massive explosion boomed from where he figured the droidekas were he knew that she had. He waited until all the debris kicked up by the blast stopped flying before he peeked around the corner of the metal crate to see how well his plan had worked out. When he saw the damage the blast had wrought he made a mental memo to do some more research before he threw a power core into the air to be detonated by a blaster bolt. It was not that the blast had been too small to do anything to the destroyer-droids but rather the exact opposite in that the blast had been bigger than he had thought it'd be. Rather than just shorting out the droidekas' shields it had destroyed one and left the other two barely able to stand on their crab-like legs. Knowing that there was still a good chance even badly damaged destroyer-droids could hurt him he decided to try and take them out before they got any of their systems even partially functional. Bolting around the crate he reached out with his left hand and summoned his lightsaber from the femme-droid's gun-belt and activated it as he leapt to close the gap between him and his target. Coming down on one of the droidekas from above he couldn't help but flashback to one of his favorite Anime heroes and mentally say 'Hiten Mitsurugi Style: Ryu Tsui Sen' as he delivered a vertical slash downwards slicing his opponent in half.

He turned to deal with the only remaining destroyer-droid still even marginally functional only to watch as three blaster bolts from the female droid's gun's slam into the droideka destroying it. Looking back at her he watched her cautiously walk out of the building he'd found her in and look about the immediate area as if expecting another wave of destroyer-droids to make an appearance. While he personally hoped that the droid was overreacting he knew it was at least a possibility. It all depended on how badly Xizor wanted him dead. After all his testimony would go far in convincing the courts of the Falleen's guilt in the matter of slave trafficking whereas the words of the slave girls could easily be discredited or distorted to Xizor's liking. Stepping a safe distance away from he brought his still activated lightsaber up into a defensive neutral stance and cast his Force senses wide. It wouldn't give him specifics but rather act like a spider's web by alerting him to abnormal vibrations and what direction they were coming from. Of course the big flaw in this method of detection was that if enemies came from all directions he'd only be able to sense that trouble was coming while having no idea as to the direction.

_Still it's better than nothing._ He thought to himself as he cast glances here and there for signs of trouble.

"There do not seem to be any further signs of hostiles Master but I suggest we vacate this area as soon as possible." The female droid stated as she holstered her massive blaster pistols, "The enemy may send more than we can handle given how heavily armed these droidekas usually are."

"Right and while I would prefer to wait for Master Windu to get here with the authorities there's no guarantee that he'll arrive here before the second wave of killing machines does." Xander said in agreement as he dropped into a more casual stance.

Just as he said those words he senses something big approaching at a rapid pace and immediately brought his lightsaber back up in a defensive back posture. Anything that was as large as he was sensing was bound to be trouble and while it might be a smarter move to find a place to hide rather than standing out in the open he wanted to see what it was before he committed to any course of action. If it turned out to be a threat then hiding would do little good since the weapons on such a craft would lay waste to this entire area with ease. If it was a friendly he didn't want to have to deal with getting caught in a storm of friendly fire by accident. With this in mind he waited for the object to show itself while at the same time keeping a metaphorical hand ready to call upon the Force just in case he needed to evade an attack on a moment's notice. However as his ears began to pick up the sounds of repulsor engines and tried to match them with vehicles he had been around he shut down his lightsaber as recognition set in.

Coming around the corner at the end of the street was unmistakably a law enforcement armored transport and he was slightly surprised that it had come in so low. Usually they liked to come in from above and use the vehicle's size to intimidate whoever they were dispatched to deal with. It was a common model used in almost every major city in the Republic with a whole fleet of them being employed on Coruscant itself. According to what he had heard they could take hits from just about anything shy of a weapon that would need the power supply of a small hyper-space capable ship to work. Add to that a weapons array capably of taking out as many as five combat speeders and you had something very well suited to handling whatever the criminal element had up its sleeve. Add to that he could sense a battle ready Jedi Master in the lead vehicle and he knew that the cavalry had finally arrived.

_After all the hard work is done of course! _ Xander thought to himself as he began to move calmly over to the femme-bot to make sure the cops didn't mistake her for a target.

"Are they enemies?" the female droid asked as she took tactical stock of the potential threat and began to run through possible courses of action.

"No. They're the local law enforcement and my Jedi Master, Mace Windu, is with them." Xander replied before he looked at her and asked, "Didn't you recognize the vehicle configuration?"

"No. My creator only gave me knowledge pertinent to my function." She replied as finished her visual examination of the armoured police transport before turning to him, "He said he wanted me to form my own database based on my own experiences traveling with you rather than rely on second-hand information."

"What is your function anyway? And your name for that matter." Xander asked as he recalled that up until now he hadn't even thought about asking those questions.

"I am an espionage, reconnaissance, infiltration and combat droid." The droid replied in a professional manner, "I do not have a specific designation or name. I believe my creator thought it would be best if it was left to you to give me an official name."

_Well that certainly was a mouthful!_ Xander thought to himself as he took in what the droid had just told him, Sounds like she might have been intended for either military or intelligence gathering purposes. _What was she doing in a warehouse belonging to the Inter-Galactic Banking clan? They usually aren't into droids like her since the less complex and mass produced ones are usually cheaper._

He thought on that mystery for a moment before mentally shelving the train of thought for when he was back on Coruscant. For the moment the most he could devote his concentration to was coming up with a name for the femme-'bot that had come to call him Master. While it was indeed his wish to someday be called Master Xander in the Jedi sense of the term it was a little uncomfortable to hear it coming from a droid that looked like a young twenty-something human woman. It produced all sorts of images in his head that either made him cringe or blush almost beyond his ability to conceal. He went through several possible names, names inspired by either her skill or her appearance, but in the end a simpler answer appeared when he considered her functions. If he took the first letter of each it almost spelled the name 'Erica' with only the droid ending being a problem. Then again she was kinda like the android Data in 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' and he was an android. If he simply lengthened the droid part of her function then it would work out.

"Well what do you think of the name Erica?" Xander asked her as he saw the side doors of the armoured police transport open up to release the cops and an irritated looking Master Windu.

For a moment 'Erica' merely looked at him as if she was thinking it over but when a surprisingly good smile appeared on her face he knew she had accepted the name.

"Padawan Xander! I want a situation report!" Master Windu said in a manner some might call 'yelling' but of course was impossible since the man was a Jedi Master.

Not liking the tone in his Master's voice he replied "Erica and I managed to deal with the droidekas Master. We combined a power core with a precisely placed blaster shot to take out their deflector shields and then dispatched them a few minutes before your arrival. We were about to leave the area in case any more droidekas were on the way but then we saw the armoured transport and I sensed you were on board."

While listening to this he saw Master Windu look at Erica and he could tell that Mace knew that she was a droid. He then began to look about the area as if to determine what had likely happened based on the available evidence. When the report was concluded there was silence for a time as the Jedi Master seemed to mull things over in his mind. Eventually though he reached a conclusion and judging by the look in his eyes Xander didn't think he was going to like it.

Windu turned to Erica and asked "Why did you aid Padawan Xander?"

"He is my Master. It is my duty to protect him and obey his orders." Erica replied promptly making it clear that she took her duty seriously.

Windu looked at him but did not say a word as the question he wanted to ask was obvious.

"I kinda bumped into her when I was trying to get away from the droidekas and wound up activating her." He replied with some reluctance as this was yet another example of the Harris luck, "Apparently her creator had it set up so the first person she laid eyes on would officially be entered into her database as her 'Master'."

Mace Windu took all this in and while it was clear that he wasn't happy about his Padawan gaining a droid Xander didn't think the Jedi Master would start handing out punishment just yet.

"You'll need to return to the local police precinct to make a statement about what you saw and did." Windu said as he half turned back to the armoured police transport, "And I expect you'll need to have a chat with the Inter-Galactic Banking Clan as well."

"Why?" Xander asked as he could not figure out why he would need to have a talk with them considering he was only supposed to observe the negotiations between Xizor and the Banking Clan.

"They will no doubt wish to know why you felt it necessary to almost completely demolish one of their warehouses during your altercation with the droidekas." Master Windu replied before indicating the building Erica had been stored in.

Turning around to look at the building he was slightly shocked to find that the building looked like it was three seconds from going completely to pieces. He knew that the building had taken some hits from the droidekas during the fight and that the detonated power core had done its own bit of damage. However he had not expected the damage to the building to be so extensive. Looking at it now though he understood why he'd have to have a little chat with the Banking Clan and what the topic of discussion would be.

_I hope the insurance covers this._ He thought to himself as he began walking towards the armoured transport with Erica taking up a protective position behind him.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

_**The Jedi Transport, At the Edge of the Muunilinst System, **_

_Preparing for the Jump to Hyperspace_

_I wonder which'll be worse._ Xander thought to himself as he looked out the window of the single person crew quarters Master Windu put him in, _Being lectured for going off on my own and getting in over my head or acquiring a synthdroid by accident which will likely be considered a violation of the 'no attachments or personal possessions' rule._

They were finally on their way back to Coruscant and as far as he was concerned he'd like to stay right here, in between the two places forever. 'Why' you might ask? Well for starters things had not gone very well after the battle with the droidekas and he was just fortunate that exposing Xizor's slave trafficking was enough to get the authorities to overlook his B & E crime. After all slavery was supposed to be outlawed in the Republic and the majority of the people thought that it was all but extinct as a crime. To find that slave trafficking was going on without them being the wiser was a serious blow to their collective egos. Needless to say with bigger fish to fry and him being the reason **why** they had found those bigger fish they decided to let him off with a warning as well as a talk with Master Windu. That had earned him private lecture number one concerning proper protocol and procedure for Jedi and especially reckless young Padawans.

From there it had been a meeting with both parties involved in the warehouse dispute where Mace revealed what had been discovered at Xizor's warehouse. Of course the Falleen denied knowing anything about what was going on in that warehouse saying that it was under the supervision of one of his subordinates. While his voice might have appeared honest to everyone else he knew that Master Windu didn't believe the lizard any more than he did. In all likelihood Xizor oversaw the slave trafficking himself and while he was busy denying it here his minions were most likely planting evidence to confirm the Prince's cover story. Master Windu had said that when they got back to the Jedi Temple they would put the section involved with intelligence gathering on the task of monitoring Xizor. It was doubtful that the Falleen prince would try anything in the near future since doing so would be risky and downright dumb but it was better to be safe then sorry. As for the dispute itself it was ended inside of an hour since Xizor could hardly accuse the Banking Clan of building violations when he himself was under investigation for a much more serious offence.

The representatives of the Banking Clan were of course gushing with gratitude for solving their problem and were quite willing to let the Jedi Order off the hook as far as the property damage was concerned. Considering how wealthy they were the cost of repairing the damage was probably not even pocket change as far as they were concerned. The problem arose when the matter of Erica came into the discussion and it was then that he learned exactly what the super strong woman was and what he had gotten himself into when he jumped through the hole in the warehouse wall.

Apparently Erica was a 'Human Replica Droid' aka synthdroid which were considered to be the pinnacle of several scientific fields and very expensive to buy. Synthdroid's were the brainchild of droid engineer Massad Thrumble as a part of Republic operation codenamed 'Project Decoy' and were intended for undercover as well as covert operations. Unfortunately the project didn't get very far as various members of the Republic government as well as a few senators didn't like that they had to pay so much 'just for a droid'. Unable to persuade his supporters in the government to reconsider Thrumble made a break for open space with everything he could from the laboratory where he had been working on the project determined to see his work bear fruit. Fortunately for Massad and a few other equally skilled droid engineers there apparently was a market for human looking druids that could swing support beams like baseball bats. Most that were produced were usually designed to be either bodyguards or assassins since the people who could afford the nine million Republic credits price tag were generally not very law abiding.

In the case of Erica though she was apparently a special order that a high-ranking member of the Banking Clan had made with Thrumble. Naturally they wouldn't go into the details of why a member of the Banking Clan needed a H.R.D with such combat skills as Erica had exhibited but 'politely' requested that she be returned to them. Of course when he tried to do that Erica refused to go with the representatives stating that he, Xander Harris, was her Master now and that it would be against her programming to leave him even at his request. This of course had led to the representatives asking for a complete retelling of the events in the warehouse district with particular detail in regards to Erica. So he did as requested and told them everything from the jumping through the hole in the wall to Erica waking up and calling him Master before ending with the defeat of the droidekas. To say that they were not happy with the fact that Erica's programming had named him as her Master since he had been the only person in the room when she had activated would have been an understatement. While they used polite words and never raised their voices it was clear by their body language and what impressions he could get of them through the Force that the universe had seriously screwed them over with this turn of events. They left temporarily saying they had to contact someone in private and when they returned an hour later they were decidedly not happy but reluctantly said that Erica was his and that the Inter-Galactic Banking Clan would not pursue the matter any further.

This of course had led to lecture number two from Mace Windu concerning the rule that forbade a Jedi from having attachments or possessions of personal nature. Apparently this rule had been made because a great many Jedi had fallen to the Dark Side of the Force because of the emotions stirred up when they were confronted with losing something or someone. He could understand that line of reasoning for the most part but at the same time he believed that all that was really needed was increased mental discipline. After all it had been years and years since that rule was made and Jedi still fell to the Dark Side. Maybe the problem with a Jedi having personal possessions and attachments wasn't necessarily the problem so much as the person not having the control necessary to keep his/her emotions in check. Just like in fighting a combatant would lose if they let their emotions get the better of them but if they kept a firm enough grip on them then everything would be fine. He knew it was easier said than done but as far as he was concerned he saw some of the rules causing the very things they were intended to prevent. Still he was a Padawan and the guys/gals that made the big decisions were the Jedi Masters so while he could put his two credits in the decision would be theirs not his.

Once the matter of Erica was settled they went to the transport at the spaceport in order to deal with the slave women that had been staying there for the last few days. The crew of the transport had been treating them respectably but it was clear after the first few encounters between the two groups that only the female members of the transport's crew would be allowed to come into close contact with the former slaves. Not that he had expected any different considering that they had likely been captured, abducted, mentally and physically battered by men in an effort to make them into proper slaves. Even though they had their freedom it would likely be awhile before they would ever look at a man with anything but fear, mistrust or anger again. According to Master Windu they would be taken back to the Jedi Temple on Conruscant and given sanctuary there while their respective worlds were contacted and their families notified. With a little luck they would be back with their loved ones and family members before a month went by. He had checked in on them once he had made it back to the ship with Master Windu and was greeted by words of gratitude as well as thanks from several of them. From Sarahari though he received something that slightly boggled his mind as she swore a life debt to him. She claimed that as he had rescued her and so many of her fellow slaves from captivity that she could do no less. He had been floored because while he might still be a little behind in his studies of the various alien races that made up the Galactic Republic the concept of a life debt was something that wasn't exclusive to the Cathar race. For a moment he had been left not knowing what to do or what the consequences might be if he tried to tell her 'I was just doing my job'.

_Thank God for Jedi Masters and their uncanny ability to show up just when their inexperienced young padawans need them._ He thought to himself as he recalled Windu appearing behind him before he talked himself into a hole.

Master Windu said that while his padawan learner was definitely honoured to receive a life debt from an honourable Cathar that Xander's studies would likely keep him in the temple and thus it was unlikely that an opportunity to make good on the life debt. However he also hinted that Sarahari might be able to live up to the responsibility of a life debt once Xander passed the trials and had become a Jedi Knight. For a few moments Xander had been unsure if his Jedi Master's plan would work since in most examples of a life debt the one who owes the life debt is honour bound to stick close to the one that is owed the life debt. In some cases they become almost inseparable with one going where ever the other is going without fail or hesitation. Depending on how serious Sarahari was with the 'life debt' concept she might **demand** to be allowed to remain with him from here on out. Fortunately it had been at that time that the Force had provided him with an answer that would solve this problem without incident. Before either Master Windu or the female Cathar could say anything he told her that if she wished to honour the life debt then he would ask her to make it her responsibility to keep watch over the slave girls that had been freed along with her and keep them safe. When it looked like she was going to refuse or at least argue with him he pointed out that her friends would need protection for the foreseeable future. While Xizor would likely walk away from the investigation by the authorities there was a strong chance that he might seek to kill the women freed if only to tie up loose ends. The of course there would be those who while not directly affiliated with Xizor might want to silence the girls just in case they overheard anything incriminating or seriously damaging during their captivity. In short the lives of the women that Sarahari had been with for the past few months were in danger and he was asking her to protect them as best she could. Understanding the situation and no doubt seeing it as being more worthy than she had thought it was before she agreed and vowed that she would protect the lives of the former slaves with her life.

Once that was out of the way Master Windu had directed him to some guest quarters on the transport where he was told he had to stay for the remainder of the trip in order to reflect on events while meditating. In truth Xander suspected that Mace just wanted to contain a potential scandal before it could spread too far amongst the transport's crew. After all despite the fact that Erica now had his brown Jedi robe on people could still see that under that she was dressed in a single piece bathing suit and nothing else. Add to that the fact that she was staying particularly close to him and it didn't take a Jedi Master to make the connection between the two of them. Master Windu no doubt thought if word spread before a suitable explanation was in place then it would cause a whole lot of problems for the Order. So until further notice he was confined to the guest quarters with Erica until they reached the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.

"Are you alright Master?" Erica asked from her position on the only bed in the room.

"I'm alright Erica and please call me Xander instead of Master." He replied as he glanced to see how far she had gotten with the first batch of data chips.

When the door to the room had closed the first time he had given her the data chips he had brought with him for the mission from the Jedi Temple. This was both to help her learn about the world she was now experiencing for the first time and to give himself time to think about the situation he was now in. It was a fairly varied amount of info and while the majority of it had to do with Muunilinst, the Falleen or the Inter-Galactic Banking Clan some of the chips did contain info on the Jedi. With a little luck she'd have a fair grasp of the Jedi and what his future would be like by the time they reached the capitol.

"Very well Xander however my senses detect that your bodily functions have deviated in such a way as to indicate that you are concerned." Erica stated as she modified her programming with regards to how she addressed him, "Would you care to tell me what is bothering you?"

For a moment he considered keeping his mouth shut and from a realistic standpoint he probably should have but when he looked at Erica he believed that he saw the one person he could really confide in. Oh sure if he had a question about the whole Jedi thing he could ask one of the Knights or Masters at the temple and if he just wanted to unwind he had Rreya and Anakin but there were things that he kept even from them. With Erica he could tell her everything and as long as he made it clear that she wasn't to tell anyone else without his expressed permission he knew she'd keep his secrets. Oh he knew that it would be more because of her programming rather than a sentient normal person choosing to keep the secrets of a friend but to him it might as well have been the same thing.

"I'm just worried about all the trouble that'll I'll be stirring up when we get back to the Jedi Temple. The Jedi Code prohibits members of the Order from having personal possessions as well as forming personal attachments to things or people." He replied as he looked her right in the eye so that she could see he was being completely honest, "Chances are when we reach the Jedi Temple the members of the High Council will decide that you and I should be separated. They might even try to knock you offline given the potential you have to cause harm."

With a look of determination Erica declared "They will fail. You are my Master Xander until either you are terminated or I am. If the High Council of the Jedi Order attempts to deactivate I will perceive their actions as an attempt to obstruct me from fulfilling my function and retaliate accordingly."

Not liking the sound of that he decided to change the topic of conversation to something a little more peaceful and non-violent.

"What exactly is your function anyway?" He asked as he put a friendlier face on, "I mean I know about the whole espionage, reconnaissance, infiltration and combat part but what exactly does all that mean with regards to me?"

"I was designed by my creator to be capable of meeting the needs of my Master. If what the representatives of the Banking Clan claim is true then I believe it was intended that I be used to act as both a bodyguard and as an independent covert agent." Erica replied as she explained things with less of a mechanical quality to her speech than when she had first been activated, "However I cannot be sure of this as I only possess knowledge of my abilities and not my intended purpose."

Thinking about that he figured it made sense that a member of the Banking Clan would want an H.R.D of that sort. With her physical abilities and the two oversized blaster pistols she would likely be able to handle any opponent on a one-on-one or even one-on-ten basis. In fact the best he could figure was that the only way that someone could defeat her would be to overwhelm her either with numbers or sheer firepower. After all it didn't mean how strong, fast, agile, skilled or heavily armed you were if enemies were coming at you like a pissed off ant colony or you were hit with heavy laser fire. As for the espionage, reconnaissance and infiltration parts he had little doubt that her intended owner would have used her to increase their profits by either stealing the secrets of the rival companies or sabotaging any prototype products that would produce huge profits. He could definitely see why a member of the Banking Clan would be willing to pay nine million or more credits to possess an H.R.D like Erica.

"Could you give me a brief summary of your abilities?" Xander asked desiring to get a better idea of what she was capable of before they arrived at Coruscant.

Given that he was fairly certain of what two options the Jedi High Council would propose once all the information was laid out he wanted to have time to prepare a counter argument. While it was true that he honestly didn't know what to do with Erica considering he hadn't intended to get saddled with her but given how adamant she was about staying with him he wanted to be able to explain to the Masters why they should allow it.

"Of course. In terms of physical abilities I am approximately fifty times stronger than your average humanoid and can achieve a running speed comparable to most speeders. My reflexes are such that I am capable of dodging blaster fire coming from as close as 18 yards away and blocking physical attacks from the majority of known species." Erica replied as she began to explain herself, "My composition is such that all cursory scans will show me to be completely human and only when subjected to a more in depth scan will my true nature be revealed. I am able to alter my skin, eye and hair color to any known color and I can temporarily alter my physical form which would render any pictures or descriptions of me useless.

"My senses of sight, hearing, smell and touch are such that I am capable of detecting stimuli well outside the range of existing species. I am also capable of slicing through all current computer security measures as well as decrypting encoded messages and/or transmissions." She explained as she continued to go through her files, "I also possess knowledge comparable to a protocol droid with regards to languages and customs. Lastly I possess a wide variety of information both exotic and commonplace in the event I am required to hide my true function. My creator Massad Thrumble also instructed me that I should keep my information as current as possible and use any methods I deem necessary in order to do so."

_Whoa!_ Thought Xander as he tried to process what Erica had just told him.

If her explanation was accurate, and given what he had witnessed at the warehouse he was inclined to believe it was, then she was the single most dangerous individual he knew of and that was saying something. It also made him certain that when he met with the Jedi High Council to discuss the matter he would have to do everything he could to persuade them to allow Erica to follow her programming. While he was reasonably certain that in a battle the Jedi could and likely would eventually succeed in defeating her the H.R.D would take many Jedi down with her to say nothing of damage to the Temple itself. There was also the question of how many other droids like Erica had been created so far and how many were currently in production. Even if it was unlikely that anyone had the credits necessary to mass produce synthdroids with abilities matching or exceeding Erica's one of them in the wrong hands could do some serious damage. All in all he believed that the only safe option for both him and the Jedi Council was to make an exception in her case and allow the H.R.D to remain with him. If an enemy of the Jedi tried to use a combat/assassin-oriented synthdroid against them it would be in their best interests to have one of their own to counter it. Then something about her summary made his brain itch with interest and despite a feeling in his gut telling him to keep his mouth shut he decided to ask the question.

"What exactly did you mean exotic information?" Xander asked her as he was curious what sort of exotic information she would be required to know in order to maintain a false identity or occupation.

"I am programmed to be able to perform all manner of recreational activities with complete mastery from dancing to various sports. I am capable of running a business or organization for weeks at a time without aide should it become necessary." Erica replied as she seemed to realize this topic held special interest for him, "I am also capable of performing all manner of exotic dancing and engaging in all forms of pleasuring known in the Galactic Republic."

_Did she say 'all forms of pleasuring'?_ Xander thought to himself as a shiver ran up his spine and a distinct feeling of dread took up residence in his gut.

"Would you like me to give you a demonstration Xander?" Erica asked as she got off the bed and walked towards him.

Now for most people their reactions would fall under one of two categories: either they would be excited at the prospect of having a beautiful looking female giving them pleasure or they would refuse it in whatever manner was believed to be most effective. In Xander's case though he opted for a response entirely unique to himself and one that only those he called friend would understand.

_If Rreya ever finds out about this I'm never going to hear the end of it!_ He thought with dread as he tried to think of a polite way out of his current dilemma.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

_Jedi High Council Chambers, Coruscant, Evening_

_So far so good._ Xander thought to himself as he finished as complete a retelling of events as he could without boring the Masters to tears with trivial details.

They had landed at the Temple without incident and thankfully it was far enough into the evening that most Jedi were either asleep or not the type to snoop around. Thankfully according to Master Galia, who was there to welcome the group when the transport's entrance ramp hit the ground, Rreya had injured her right leg slightly attempting to do a rather difficult exercise and the crimson Twi'lek was in the infirmary. That meant he had at least until tomorrow afternoon before he'd have to worry about her finding out about his little adventure and about Erica. A little over twelve hours of peace and quiet before the bane of his existence as well as his friend made use of the ammunition he unwittingly provided for her due to his recklessness and his own brand of luck. Hopefully though the High Council would be angry enough with him to assign tons of chores and duties for him to perform as punishment while at the same time giving him some hope of returning to his normal routine.

_Never thought I would see the day when I'd actually **hope** for detention!_ He thought as Master Windu finished putting his own two credits in for consideration.

"While not resolved as we would have wished, satisfied with the outcome we are." Yoda stated clearly with mixed feelings, "Turn now to the matter of the Human Replica Droid we must."

"I don't see what there is to discuss. The Jedi Code is quite clear on this matter." Master Adi-Mundi said as though the solution was obvious, "Jedi are forbidden from having personal possessions or attachments. This droid could easily fit both criteria from a certain point of view."

"While the Code does forbid such things I believe that this is a unique case that requires further discussion." Master Billaba said in a voice that made it clear where she stood on the matter, "Both the synthdroid and Padawan Xander are unique cases and as such cannot be treated the same as any other Learner."

"We cannot give preferential treatment to any Learner no matter what the circumstances." Ki-Adi-Mundi stated slightly upset at the very idea of doing anything other than doing things by the book or the Code in this case, "To do so would cause conflict between Padawan Xander and the other Learners. They would resent him for being allowed to violate the Code and perhaps us as well."

"Perhaps but then again they might not if matters were explained from a certain point of view." Master Galia said before waiting to see how the rest of the Council reacted.

"What do you suggest Master Galia?" Mace Windu asked with a mix of mild surprise and interest.

"That we dispense only as much of the truth about what happened on Muunilinst as necessary and keep the more harmful information to ourselves." Master Galia replied as she laid out her idea, "We could say that the conflict on Muunilinst was resolved due in part to some unorthadox thinking on the part of Padawan Xander and that as a result he was given possession of the H.R.D."

"You are **proposing** that we **deceive** our Younglings and Learners?" Ki-Adi-Mundi asked in clear shock as he stared at Master Galia as though she had come out of the closet as a Sith.

"No I am not. I am only suggesting that we exercise some discretion on how much of the truth we release to them." Master Galia replied calmly so as not to turn the argument into a shouting match, "The statement I suggested was not a lie. Each part of it was completely true. I merely removed the sections of Padawan Xander and Master Windu's report that would cause the conflict you were concerned about."

Xander was definitely in favour of Master Galia's suggestion as it not only seemed the most likely to sway the rest of the Council but also because it did stay within the boarders of the Jedi Code if only just barely. He hoped that the other members of the High Council sided with Adi since it would keep him from having to put his own argument forth. He was pretty sure they wouldn't like the fact that he thought Erica could hold her own against the entire Jedi Council much less his suggestion about what to do with her. No sense springing that particular surprise on them unless he absolutely had to.

"Padawan Xander? Do you have a suggestion?" asked Master Billaba who judging from the look on her face had somehow perceived what was going on inside his head.

_Shit! I should have known better than to think I could have a private thought in the presence of this crowd!_ Xander thought before he replied, "I agree with Master Galia that **bending** the truth slightly would be the correct course of action to take on this matter. It is not that I have become attached to her or anything but rather I would rather the Order not have to deal with the consequences of trying to remove her from the Temple or shut her down."

"Consequences?" Asked Master Plo Koon in his usual Oz-like manner.

"On the way back from Muunilinst Erica… I mean the synthdroid… gave me a summary of her capabilities as they pertain to what she was designed to do." Xander explained carefully so as to appear as objective and Jedi-like as possible, "Given what she told me I doubt the Order would escape unscathed if we tried removal or termination. Most likely anyone who fought her would either have to spend some serious time in the infirmary afterwards at the very least or at worst… well… die."

"You seem to think a great deal of her abilities and very little about those Jedi who rank above you." Master Adi-Mundi stated in a manner that immediately reminded him of how Quentin Travers acted around Buffy.

Unfortunately that was exactly the wrong tone to take with his as his heart decided to talk to Ki-Adi-Mundi the exact way he would Travers.

Bluntly.

"Look Master Mundi! I saw first hand what Erica was capable of when the two of us fought the droidekas on Muunilinst!" Xander declared not caring that he was not behaving in a Jedi-like manner, "She was able to rip a **support** **beam** that was a planted a foot and a half in permacrete on both ends right out with ease and then use it to knock the destroyer droids clear across the street! She knocked their CPUs out of whack for God's sake! Could you have defeated three droidekas with deflector shields on your own?"

It took a few moments but eventually his head caught up with his mouth and when it did he seriously wondered when he would learn to think before he shot his mouth off. He watched as the High Council did the 'look back and forth while looking mysterious' thing that they did whenever they wanted to chastise an out of line Padawan and he wondered if he had sabotaged his own argument and Galia's as well.

"Made a point Padawan Xander has. For even the most experienced Jedi difficult to defeat destroyer droids are." Yoda said in the hopes of restoring some calmness and composure to the proceedings.

"Indeed. To deal be able to inflict enough damage so as to disrupt their command pathways for any period of time is impressive." Master Windu said in the hopes that Master Mundi would answer facts with facts rather than baseless posturing.

"Even if we were to concede that the H.R.D was capable inflicting such damage it does not change the fact that its presence would be disruptive." Master Kai-Adi-Mundi stated apparently understanding what his comrades were trying to convey to him.

"What if we assigned her a job here at the Temple?" Xander suggested deciding to let his brain take the wheel instead of his heart, "Perhaps put her in the Archives to help Jocasta Nu with tending the records and helping out with information requests. I think that if we kept the number of times Erica and I are together to a minimum and simply say that she was my responsibility that it might be enough to satisfy most Jedi if used with Master Galia's statement."

"That might work. It would allow her to remain within close enough proximity to Padawan Xander to follow her programming." Master Windu said optimistically, "Add to that the fact that his departures from the Temple will be few and far in between for the foreseeable future and I doubt anyone would be able to establish a strong connection between them merely watching their movements."

It was clear that some of the Council thought as Master Mundi did but pretty much the same number of people also seemed to be willing to consider the alternative he and Master Galia proposed. There were still a few who were undecided and could go either way if the matter came to a vote but he was encouraged by the fact that there was anything to debate at all. He had come into the room expecting to have to bring the entire High Council around to his way of thinking on his own. With Master Galia apparently on his side and Yoda as well as Windu at least willing to consider the matter thoroughly he had hope that things would end favourably for him.

"Then I suggest we put the matter to a vote." Master Mundi stated with confidence that his course of action would supported by the majority, "All those in favor of permitting the H.R.D to remain here at the Temple and to allow it to follow its programming?"

Those who were in favour of allowing Erica to remain voted so.

"All those who believe we should follow the Jedi Code and remove the H.R.D?" Mundi asked as he showed his position on the matter along with a few others.

"Decided it is then." Yoda stated once the result of the vote was clear.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

_Xander's Quarters, Jedi Temple, Coruscant, Evening_

"What has the Jedi High Council decided Xander?" Erica asked once the door finished closing behind him.

Looking at her where she was politely sitting on the bed he could tell that she had stayed there the entire time he had been gone. From the moment he had dropped off his bag and told her to remain here until he returned with the Council's decision to just now when he had come through the door. That act alone told him all he needed to know with regards to how she'd take the decision of the Council. If she had been completely human he suspected she'd have investigated every corner of the room and snooped a bit if something caught her interest. He knew that if it had been Sarahari that he had brought to his room she'd probably have tried to wait patiently but eventually her cat-like nature would compel her to familiarize herself with her surroundings. Since Erica was more droid than human, despite the biological components to her being, the idea of snooping probably never even occurred to her. Hopefully she'd take the news he had well because he was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to get anything better out of the Masters on the High Council anytime soon.

"They have decided to let you stay here at the Temple so that you may follow your programming without incident." He replied as he prepared to explain everything to her, "However there are a few rules that you will have to follow in order to remain here and I'm afraid they're non-negotiable. The first is that you will be assigned to aide Jocasta Nu, the Jedi Archivist, in her day to day duties from helping maintain the databanks to helping those who come to the Archives find what they are looking for. Is this acceptable?"

"This would be acceptable." Erica replied promptly showing no hesitation or any other sign that she didn't like rule number one.

"The second is that you are not to overly interact with me or behave in such a way that could be construed by others as anything more than a casual friendship." Xander said as he waited to see how she would react to what he believed was the toughest of all the rules.

"I cannot do that. It is my purpose to protect you and aid you in your endeavours." Erica stated as she argued against this rule, "I cannot do that effectively if contact with you is kept to a minimum."

"I'm afraid it is necessary in order to prevent other Jedi and whoever else might visit the Temple from perceiving you as an attachment or a possession." Xander said as he tried to make her see reason, "You'll be assigned to me whenever I leave the temple but aside from that the cover story of being a casual friend must be maintained. Will you accept this rule?"

"I do not like it but if it is your will that I follow this rule than I shall." Erica replied with reluctance in her voice.

_She seems to be getting more and more human in her responses as time goes on._ He thought to himself as ran through his experiences with her so far, _Must be observing and analyzing everything that goes on around her and then modifying her own behaviour accordingly. Should make getting her to blend in easier since I doubt it would be a good thing to have her walking around like she had a stick up her ass all the time. _

"Lastly if anyone inquires about what happened on Muunilinst you are to basically say that you were a gift from the Inter-Galactic Banking Clan as a reward for resolving their dispute with Prince Xizor of the Falleen and exposing a slave trafficking ring." Xander said as he explained the condensed version of the cover story, "You don't need to say who the gift was for or who is primarily responsible for you. It'd probably be better not to get into the details any more than is absolutely necessary. Can you accept this final rule?"

"It is acceptable." Erica stated with complete honesty.

"Good cause I am tired and have a feeling that I'm going to need every bit of strength I can get for classes tomorrow." Xander said as he went to the bathroom to clean up a bit and change into his sleeping clothes.

When he got back into the main room he found Erica standing there apparently waiting for final instructions or maybe just wondering where a power outlet was for her to recharge from. He wasn't really sure how H.R.D's replenished their energy supply whether they could get it like normal humans or needed something more like what an astromech droid would need. Given that she was technically a droid and would likely do whatever he asked her to do he could tell her to sleep/recharge on the floor and she'd do it. As he climbed into bed and began to get comfortable he sensed that she was still there waiting for instructions on what to do while he slept. He hoped it wouldn't be like this forever with her needing him to plan out her entire day for her in advance. Getting back to the sleeping arrangements though he found that while his mind was telling him to just tell her to sit in a nearby chair his 'gotten-me-in-trouble-before-get-me-in-trouble-again' White Knight complex wouldn't let him. Underneath all the logic, the rational thinking and more recently the ways of the Jedi Order he was still the same Xander he had been back in Sunnydale. That of course meant there was only one thing he could do in this situation.

"You can take the right side of the bed and I'll stay on the left." He said as he moved over to the left side of the bed and turned on his side to give her enough room, "Just be sure not to hog the covers. I don't care what everyone else says about this place being perfect environmental controls this place can get a bit chilly at night."

"I understand." Erica said as if she had deduced something.

After a few moments of nothing disturbing the bed sheets or the bed itself he began to wonder if she had indeed understood that he was giving her permission to share the bed with him. Then when he felt a slight tug and then a raising of the bed sheets on the right side he figured she had probably just been consulting her databases on 'how to sleep like a human' or something. Everything was as he had expected it from the feeling of additional weight being placed on the mattress to her shifting the position of her body into something resembling comfortable. It was when she suddenly decided that spooning her body up against his was a good idea that things began to get **awkward**. The first thing that caught his notice was that based on his sense of touch he could not feel the familiar sensation of fabric rubbing up against fabric. From the thickest of materials to the thinnest one could always tell when one was brushing up against another but in this case it was absent. Another thing he noticed was the decided absence of any kind of… padding… around certain areas that would prevent him from being able to accurately ascertain the shape and firmness of things in those certain areas. For a moment he was struck with a feeling of indecision, caught between wanting to confirm his growing suspicions and being afraid that his hunch was correct. Deciding to bite the bullet so to speak he reached back with his left hand and began to tentatively feel around certain areas hoping each time to encounter some type of cloth-like material. Unfortunately his hopes for a pyjama wearing Erica or even an Erica who slept in her one-piece bathing suit were shattered and he was forced to accept the truth.

Erica apparently preferred to sleep in the nude.

Sighing he tried to ignore the two objects that were pressing into his back so that he could get some sleep.

_Something tells me my life is going to get a whole lot more complicated from here on out._ He thought to himself as he tried to keep certain thoughts from his mind so he might succeed in getting to sleep.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&


	6. Portents and Prowess

Xander's Room, Six Months Later, Midnight 

"**NOOOO!**" Xander yelled as he sat up in his bed in the blink of an eye.

For a moment all there was in the room was heavy breathing as he tried to get the whirlwind of emotions raging within him under control. Sweat covered his body and were anyone else in the room it would be easy for them to deduce that the young padawan learner had just experienced a nightmare. What they wouldn't know is that for the past week straight he had been having the same nightmare over and over again with not a single detail changing. Each time the dream began it played out exactly as it had before, no matter how much he might will it in the dream to be different this time. With a shake of the head he stopped himself before his mind tripped and fell back into that pit of imagery. Throwing the sheets off of his bed, he knew that he'd be getting no sleep anytime soon and so fell into the same pattern he had after the second time the images had assaulted his mind. Getting out of bed he went to the sonic shower and, once clean, put on his gym gear and headed for the training room.

Even as he walked to his destination flashes of the nightmare continued to pop up in his mind. Just like that 'wack-a-mole' game, no sooner did he beat down one image than another popped up to take its place. It was nothing new to him. The same thing had happened every single night for the past week and he knew that the only way to get rid of him was to distract his mind with something else: lightsaber training. While all aspects of his training here at the temple required a certain degree of concentration and focus, he found that when he was going through the patterns of Shii-cho the world faded away. He knew that the other forms of lightsaber combat would be even more difficult as Master Windu had been gradually introducing him to the other forms for the past six months. It had been then that Mace had declared that the Xan-man had sufficient skill with the form one style that he could move on to the more difficult ones. So over the past six months, not including the trip to Muunilinst, Windu had been showing him the first few patterns and techniques of each style he knew while asking other Masters to demonstrate the ones he didn't know. It was essentially a process of getting his feet wet and finding out which style best suited him in terms of his physical abilities, his skill with the Force and his personality. He personally was undecided for the most part but he had to admit he was beginning to take an interest in learning Jar'kai.

_It'll take me more than a few years but it might be interesting to learn._ He thought as the door to the training room came into view.

According to what he had both read and heard it was a difficult form of lightsaber combat that no one had fully mastered, even though many had tried and were indeed working towards today. He knew that quite a few Learners were currently seeking instruction in form six Niman, since it is an absolute must if a padawan wanted to learn Jar'kai. If in the end it turned out to be beyond him, he might try to convince Master Windu to help him work towards learning Vaapad. He had never actually seen the form performed and to his knowledge only Mace and Master Billaba used this particular style of lightsaber combat. No one had really given him a straight answer when he had asked why so few Jedi knew it but most had implied that it strayed dangerously close to the Dark Side of the Force. Given how many had given him the exact same response he was inclined to believe their claims despite the lack of solid evidence. Still, he sort of felt like he should at least try to learn it since, if anything happened to Master Windu or Master Billaba, the form would be lost forever. Seeing as how it was considered to be Mace's signature style and Windu was his official instructor in lightsaber combat, it kind of seemed like an obligation to make sure his Master's style survived.

_I should probably wait though until I show more emotional control or skill with a lightsaber before asking him about it._ He thought as the door to the training room slid to the side, _It'd be like passing the test to get my driver's license before being allowed to drive. If I can show him I'm ready by learning the less difficult stuff he might think I'm ready to learn the more dangerous forms._

The lights came on automatically on his setting foot in the room, convenient since he didn't particularly want to search for the switch, and after putting a towel and his bottle of water down on the floor off to the side he summoned a practice 'sabre to his hand. Taking a deep breath he cleared his mind and body of anything distracting or trivial before falling into the stance all Shii-cho patterns began in. Over the next half hour he went through each pattern three times increasing the speed behind his movements with every repetition. Once he was satisfied that he could perform each pattern at a lightning fast rate without sacrificing too much in terms of technique or precision, he moved on to the basics of the other forms he had been shown so far. It didn't take as long as the patterns of Shii-cho since he didn't know as much about them but what he did know he practiced until he was satisfied with his performance.

It was however just as he was finishing the last set of moves for Niman that his training lightsaber was unexpectedly stopped in its tracks when he attempted to perform a full three hundred and sixty degree slash. Instead of open air like there should have been there was the purple blade of a lightsaber blocking his blue blade from going any further. Following a path from the energy blade to the handle up the arm that was holding it towards the head he was slightly surprised at the face that was looking at him at the moment. While he may never have met her formally, she was unique enough in appearance so that identifying her wasn't difficult. Short hair as white as snow, a black hooded cape, brown shirt, green pants with black boots and gloves to finish off the outfit. While these items of clothing could be bought and worn by anyone the unique seemingly vine covered lightsaber with a purple energy blade pretty much gave her identity away. What she was doing here and blocking his blade though was something he was going to have to ask her right away.

"Master Kuro. To what do I owe the surprise of having your blade blocking mine?" He asked as he took a couple steps back and deactivated his lightsaber.

"You know my former name? Interesting, but I go by 'The Dark Woman' these days." She replied before correcting him on what she was called.

"That's just a mask to cover who you really are." Xander said trying to sound all wise and Jedi-like imitating the members of the High Council he respected.

Unfortunately, judging from the look on her face, raised eyebrow and all, she wasn't buying his act in the slightest.

"Okay, okay, the truth of the matter is I prefer calling people by their birth names rather than any crazy nickname they've made up for themselves." He said deciding like the Masters on the High Council that he would be better of playing it straight with her.

"Fair enough. To answer your earlier question, though, I was on my way back to the residential wing of the temple when I noticed that the training room lights were on." Kuro stated as she did a brief look about the room before returning her gaze to him, "Do you always train this late at night?"

"Just the last week or so. I haven't been sleeping all that well." He replied as he tried to respond to her questions without letting the images of that nightmare resurface, "I find that practicing with my lightsaber helps distract me from the dream and tires me out enough that I can get at least three more hours of sleep in before I have to get up for Master Yoda's meditation class."

"Perhaps if you tell me about this disturbing dream it might lessen the effect it has on you." An'ya proposed implying that she would keep anything she heard in strictest confidence.

At this point Xander knew that he had a choice to make: either tell her in complete detail his nightmare, thus spoiling the progress he had made training for the last while, or dodge the question and have people give him the hairy eyeball for a while. With a sigh he decided on the former, since the latter would only delay the inevitable. So with a deep breath he dived into the pit of images from the nightmare he'd been having for the past seven days straight.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

It started out with him on the front steps of the Jedi Temple.

He doesn't know where he was coming back from or why he felt a great need to get into the temple, but just the same he raced up the steps two at a time while keeping one hand on his lightsaber. There was a feeling of approaching, change all around him, like the feeling one had just before rain started to fall from the sky, and that only added to the unease that drove him to get into the temple **now**.

As he finally makes it inside, he is stopped in his tracks by the tableau of death and destruction he sees laid out before him. Bodies, dozens or more, were scattered around in every direction, he looked without exception and he knew without even having to check that they were all dead. He couldn't make out specific faces, couldn't assign names to the bodies of the Jedi he could see or the white forms beside them, for they seemed blurred just enough to prevent a positive identification. Despite the different locations of the fatal wounds, he could tell that the Jedi laid out before him had died either by multiple blaster bolts or by searing heat of a lightsaber. As for the figures in white, they were pretty much exclusively killed by lightaber attacks, though a few had been hit by a blunt object. His dream self didn't stay long but rather ignited his lightsaber and began to run through the halls of the temple searching for any survivors.

However no matter how far he went or what part of the temple he explored, all he found were dead Jedi and the white forms that always seemed to be close by. Then, just as despair and sadness crept up within his dream self, he spots something out of the corner of his eye. A cloaked shape with a hood pulled over its head to conceal the wearer's identity slipping away around the far corner of the hallway he was in. Without hesitation he chased after it but, no matter how fast he ran, the figure always managed to stay just far enough ahead of him so that following him/her was barely possible. The chase seemed to go on for hours before finally the figure chose a destination and entered the lift that went to the High Council chambers. With a growing need to catch the unknown figure, the sole living thing in the temple, he jabbed at the summoning button of the lift with his finger. It took a while but, eventually, the doors to the lift opened and admitted him inside. Pressing the button to take him to the Council chambers he waited with lightsaber turned off but ready to be ignited at a moment's notice. When the doors opened though the smell of burning flesh, the crackle of electricity and the screams of a young woman hit him like a Trade Federation droid armada.

Inside the room the figure in the black-hooded cloak had been joined by a second one but that wasn't what had the majority of his attention right then though. It was the person they were attacking that had him frozen in shock as he saw what he recognized as Force lightning cascaded up and down Rreya's body. It was clear that she had been hit with that attack more than once already and that it was only now that the dark figures had decided to end her life by electrocuting her to death. Without hesitating he ignited his lightsaber and charged them head on, yelling at them in an effort to take their attention away from his friend. However no matter how loud he yelled, his words did not reach them in the slightest and no matter how hard he pushed his legs his speed remained at a joggers pace. It wasn't until he was halfway to them all that one dark figure took notice of him and broke off his vicious attack on Rreya to face him. Retrieving something from its cloak and activating it with a familiar snap-hiss sound, he knew now what it was he was looking at, if not whom.

They were Sith.

The crimson lightsaber and black wardrobe were a dead giveaway as was the Force lightning that the second Sith was continuing to bombard the crimson Twi'lek with. With the first step that the lightsaber wielding Dark Side user took, his dream self's movements returned to normal and no longer were slowed down or hindered by some unseen force. In under a second the two blades clashed, one gold and the other blood red, as he tried to fight his way past the Sith barring his path so he could rescue his friend. He knew he couldn't let the duel get dragged out or Rreya would be dead by the time he got to her. His dream self went through a flurry of moves his mind recognized as techniques Master Windu had taught him as well as a few others that he didn't recognize. Not that it made any difference as every slash or thrust he sent at the Sith was either blocked or evaded completely. Add to that the fact that he was just barely managing to block the Dark Side user's attacks with his own efforts and it was clear he was in deep trouble. He was also running out of time as he could see Rreya's strength leaving her with every moment that passed. So it was then that he decided to try something risky and potentially fatal if he screwed up.

Launching his body into a series of backward flips aided by the Force, he landed at the far side of the room and with all the strength he could summon levitated the various chairs in the room before hurling them at his enemies. As he predicted, though, every time it looked as though one of the chairs might hit its target, the Sith with the lightsaber would cut it in half or the one using Force lightning would parry it aside with his own Force powers. In truth though the chairs were meant only as a distraction for once he was convinced that they expected only chairs to come at them he charged forward and leapt over the lightsaber-wielding Sith in perfect synch with a chair blocking his enemy's sight. For a moment, he almost believed he had done it but just as he reached the apex of his leap the chair that was supposed to hide him from the sight of his enemy shattered in a storm of Force lightning. Slamming into him with all the subtlety of a freight train he found himself hurled upwards coming to a sudden stop as he collided with the ceiling. He was helpless, both in pain and unable to use the Force to free himself, pinned to the ceiling by an unending stream of lightning.

It seemed like it took hours before the Sith tired of using electricity as a means of inflicting pain on him but in fact it had barely been two minutes. In the blink of an eye the barrage stopped and he dropped the floor limp as wet spaghetti with barely enough strength to push himself up a bit to look at his foes. While he couldn't see their faces he somehow knew that they were smiling cruelly down at him no doubt revelling in their power and his inability to stop them. He wanted to get up and prove them wrong, prove that despite the pain that had almost completely weakened his body, and that he could still somehow take them down. It was then though that the two Sith warriors chose to bring their little fun time to an end because, after ceasing his electrical attack on Rreya, he drew his lightsaber and, with one swift stroke, beheaded the crimson Twi'lek. It was at that point that the dream came to a close with his friend's severed and burned head looking accusingly at him with dead eyes.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"A disturbing dream. I can understand why you would have difficulty in sleeping after experiencing such disturbing imagery," The Dark Woman said in a tone that revealed nothing about her inner thoughts on the matter.

"That's just it though. I'm not sure it was just a dream." He said as he began to pace back and forth to expend some of the energy that his retelling had produced.

"How so?" She asked with a raised eyebrow adding weight to her inquiry.

"Mostly because the nightmare has happened the exact same way every single time," he replied without breaking stride or looking in her direction. "Not a single detail was off from the background to the emotions to the actions. Now maybe it's just me, but I don't know of any dream or nightmare that is that exact in repeating itself."

"While it is true that dreams and nightmares vary each time one falls asleep, there's a chance that they can come close to repeating themselves." Master Kuro said taking the position that what he had experienced was indeed just a harmless dream, "Perhaps there were differences in the dream each time but ones so small that you failed to take notice of them."

"Maybe, but that brings up an interesting point." Xander said as he conceded that he might have missed something amidst the bodies and the pursuing, "How does a Jedi tell the difference between a normal dream and a vision sent by the Force?"

"The main method is to examine what one saw in order to determine how feasible it is that the event could happen." An'ya replied not quite like reading the answer from a text book but close, "From your description it would seem you dreamt of the destruction of the Jedi Order by the newly returned Sith. Given that to our knowledge there are only two that exist at the moment I would say that it is highly unlikely that they are capable of delivering such a devastating blow by themselves."

"Who says they did it by themselves? I still haven't been able to figure out who the white figures were and, considering that more than half the Jedi in my nightmare had been killed by blaster bolts, then the Sith had help committing that massacre." He said not quite willing to dismiss his nightmare's potential as a vision just yet, "The Sith operate on deception and manipulation. Who's to say that they don't have some army at their disposal already?"

"The Jedi would know if such a massive force existed. Our intelligence-gathering methods are among the best in the Republic," The Dark Woman said, still believing that such a threat to the Jedi could not exist.

"No one's invincible, Master Kuro, and the Jedi aren't unbeatable." Xander said realistically as he made a mental note to have Erica do a covert tactical analysis of the temple, "If a Sith-led force does assault the temple, we'd be hard-pressed to defend it."

"A pessimist I see," An'ya said with a small grin that stated she approved of a Jedi having some of that in their thinking.

"A realist. The Sith know the Jedi code and philosophy almost as well as their own, so it isn't completely unreasonable to think they might be able to use that knowledge to their advantage." He said laying out his theory for her, "Add to that the fact that it's been a thousand years since a Jedi has last confronted a Sith and the Order might just be the **teeniest** bit rusty in knowing how to deal with them."

"Perhaps you're right. Is this extra training also intended to improve your duelling skills, should your nightmare come true?" Master Kuro asked thoughtfully as she was no doubt filing away his words to consider more thoroughly later.

"Pretty much, yeah. Better to have and not need than need and not have right?" He asked replied with a slight grin, "Besides, I figured that as the padawan to the great lightsaber duellist Master Mace Windu, I had quite the reputation to live up to. So hopefully all this extra practice will help."

"Indeed. Then perhaps, if only for tonight, I can give you a better training session than just you and the remote droid." The Dark Woman said as she raised her lightsaber and ignited it in the neutral forward position.

Knowing that there was no way he was going to get out of this challenge, he ignited his practice lightsaber and mirrored her stance.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The Next Day, Temple Cafeteria, Mid-Morning 

_Note to self: **NEVER** agree to spar with Master Kuro again!_ Xander thought as he walked along and picked out his breakfast meal from the various selections.

Wincing slightly as a bruise he had received when The Dark Woman had kicked him away after their 'sabers had locked against one another still stung, but he knew it'd be gone soon enough. He was progressing enough with the more spiritual side of his Force training under Master Yoda and had become fairly competent in the healing arts. Not anything special but enough that he could take the edge off any injuries he suffered during training. After dealing with whatever Master Yoda had planned for today's lesson, he'd use what time remained to focus on healing his wounds as much as possible. There was a chance that one of his teachers would notice that he was hurt and inquire, but he would just say that he had overestimated his abilities during an independent training session. Which would be perfectly true, but he'd leave out the fact that the training had taken place in the middle of the night and, thus, not cause anyone to suspect that something might be wrong with him. The last thing he needed was to endure a lecture about letting his emotions influence his actions or the impossibility of the Jedi being massacred.

_You'd think the older Jedi would know how dangerous it is to get cocky like that._ He thought as he sat down at one of the many tables arrayed throughout the room.

It was something he was beginning to realize was an all too common trait among the Jedi he lived with and it bothered him significantly. Four years fighting alongside Buffy and the others back in Sunnydale had taught him first hand how being too sure of yourself could come back to bite you in the ass. While the Scoobies had managed to keep a more or less level head in the midst of their work on the Hellmouth, there had been examples of overconfidence that had nearly cost them dearly. Also it was a key component of the victories over the various demons and vampires that they were all so sure of themselves that they never stopped to consider that 'mere humans' could ever harm them much less kill them. With the Sith back in the galactic mix again, he didn't believe that the Jedi could afford to take anything for granted anymore, especially their ability to claim victory over the enemy of the day. Unfortunately, though, he was just a Padawan, so he doubted that anyone would pay any attention to him if he tried to persuade them to take a more realistic view of their place in the galaxy and their own limitations. The best he could do was make sure he himself didn't get cocky and make every effort to prepare himself for when the Sith made their next big move.

He was about to take a bite of some fruit he had chosen for his morning meal when, in defiance of his hunger, the piece he had on his fork floated away from him as if fleeing for its life. He didn't even bother trying to reclaim it or to look to see who had taken it from him because he knew there was only one person who'd get any satisfaction from pulling such a stunt. He knew she had been released from the infirmary today but he'd hoped he could at least enjoy a single meal and be off to his lessons before she could find him. Sighing, he put his fork down and waited for her to say or do something so she could get whatever trickster impulses she had at the moment out of her system.

"Good morning Padawan Xander." Rreya said with the perfect politeness and respect expected from a Jedi Padawan but if one looked into her eyes they would see a twinkle of mirth in them.

"It was until a certain someone showed up and decided she deserved a slice of fruit more than I did." He stated trying to keep any annoyance or anger from showing in his voice, since he knew it would only egg her on even more.

"Well I'm sure if you asked her real nice, that sex 'bot Erica you brought back from Muunilinst will 'cheer' you up." Rreya said her full voice full of between the lines meaning, "After all, I hear you too are pretty much joined at the hip, or should I say pelvis, lately anyways. So what's it like having your own synth droid?"

_Shoulda known she wouldn't be able to resist teasing me about this._ He thought before replying, "She's not my synth droid, Rreya. If you'd bothered to get your facts straight, you'd know she was a gift from the Intergalactic Banking Clan to the Order for solving their problem with Prince Xizor. The only reason I'm connected to her at all is because Master Windu put me in charge of her orientation."

"Please! Her quarters are next to yours and I hear that she's been spotted covertly keeping any eye on you during your lightsaber classes with Master Windu." Rreya said disappointed with her **friend's** effort at evading her question, "Some say she looked ready to jump in and take on Master Windu herself if she thought you started to lose too badly."

_Dammit! I told Erica to stop doing that._ He thought as he recalled the first time that he'd caught her spying on him during lightsaber lessons.

It had been about a week after returning from Muunilinst and he'd just finished showing the H.R.D an orientation course of the temple as well as put her Master Nu's capable hands at the Jedi Archives. He'd then rushed to the training hall for his lesson with Master Windu, where he was scheduled to begin looking at the other forms of lightsaber combat aside from the basic Form 1. It had been near the end of the lesson when he and Master Windu were sparring and, during one of his evasive rolls, he'd spotted her watching him covertly from one of the less-used entrances to the room. Fortunately Mace hadn't spotted anything or, if he did, he didn't say anything about it. Once the lesson had ended he did his best to stealthily approach the synth droid before telling her why she couldn't spy on him like she had during the lesson. Of course she had rattled off how it was her mission to keep him safe, no matter what, and that she had taken all the necessary precautions to keep signs of her presence to a minimum. Of course that didn't mean a whole lot because even though Erica didn't have a presence in the Force that could be detected by a Jedi, everyone in the temple was trained to be observant of their surroundings from a young age. Eventually, though, he managed to persuade her to lighten up on her surveillance of him and made the promise that he'd visit her at least once a day to let her know that he was okay and unharmed. Fortunately he was enough of a regular visitor to the archives that it wouldn't seem odd that he went there once a day.

_Of course now I have to try to convince one mischief-minded Twi'lek that there's nothing but a working relationship between me and Erica. _He thought as his friend waited for him to comment on her bit of info, _Best try and keep it as close to the truth as I can manage and hope that's enough to make her happy._

"Look from what I could tell, she was fresh from the factory and only had the most basic software installed." He said as he decided to try and eat again hoping that Rreya would let him, "She's probably just using me as a case study or something so she can learn how she's supposed to act in the temple."

"She's watching you, the weirdest Padawan in the temple, in order to try and learn how to behave better?" Rreya asked rhetorically in disbelief as though it was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard, "She'd be better off following Master Windu around, or even Master Mundi, for that matter."

"No arguments there. Hopefully she'll clue into her mistake and change targets soon." He said deciding that agreeing with her would be the best way to quell any further curiosity.

"ANYway have you heard the news?" Rreya asked as she sat down on the other side of the table.

"What news?" He asked not aware of anything that would constitute news in the temple unless you counted the growing unrest in the senate.

"Count Dooku has come for a visit!" Rreya replied with more than a little excitement, "I can't believe you haven't heard it from anyone yet!"

"Well I kinda slept in a little bit and Master Tiin decided to use that as an excuse to have me listen to the entire retelling of the Stark Hyperspace Conflict." He said in his defense since the entire event was enough to make him set his room's alarm in the future.

"Sounds fascinating. Still I hope I can see Count Dooku before he leaves." Rreya said apparently willing to set aside her belittling of him in favor of the new guest at the temple, "From what I've heard he would have had a seat on the High Council if he wasn't so idealistic about certain topics. I wonder what made him choose to resign his commission in the Order."

"I'm sure he had his reasons." Xander said casually since he was not nearly as 'wowed' by the presence of the former Jedi Master in the temple as his friend was at the moment, "You'll probably catch a glimpse of him at least, since visits like this practically require someone give him a tour of the temple or at least let him look around a bit before leaving."

"You mean you're not even the least bit interested in meeting him?" Rreya asked in surprise as the very idea of not being excited at seeing such a famous former Jedi was barely conceivable.

"Sure, it'd be nice but nothing to get worked up over." He replied nonchalantly as he finished his breakfast, "I mean, I'm getting instructed by members of the High Council, so meeting one new one, a former one at that, isn't really all that new for me."

"Well when you put it like that I can see your point." Rreya said reluctantly, as she could see how being in the presence of Masters like Windu and Yoda daily would affect how the white haired padawan would view others.

"Well, as interesting as this conversation as been, I have to get going if I want to be on time for Master Windu's lightsaber class." He said as he stood up with his tray in hand, "See you at lunch, Rreya."

"Yeah, see ya." She stated before heading to get her own breakfast to complete what she began by stealing some of his.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Training Hall, One Hour Later 

"Well done, Padawan." Master Windu said as he signalled for the sparring session to come to an end, "Your grasp of the basics of Soresu is progressing fairly well."

"Thank you Master. It's nice to hear that all my training has paid off." Xander said as he took a moment to regain his breath.

"Indeed. I've been told that you have been quite diligent in your lightsaber training." Master Windu said in a voice filled with hidden meaning, "Even going as far as practicing late at night when all others are asleep."

It didn't take a genius to figure out what the Jedi Master was referring to or to deduce who had informed the bald Master of Vaapad of his midnight training sessions. For a moment he considered trying to bluff his way out of his current predicament but abandoned that idea after remembering how easily the members of the High Council seemed to be able to read his mind.

"I'm just trying to be better prepared in case I ever get into another situation like I did on Muunilinst." He replied being completely honest from a certain point of view, "Besides, I figure since I'm your padawan learner it's sort of expected that I be as good as you are one day."

The look on Master Windu's face implied that he knew Xander wasn't being entirely truthful but it didn't look as though he was going to press the matter any further. Xander let loose a mental sigh of relief as he didn't want to spill everything that happened last night to his lightsaber mentor, since it would lead to an uncomfortable Q&A session. The Dark Woman was a controversial member of the Order and was generally assigned the more difficult younglings and padawans since she had more luck training such Force adepts than anyone else. Her methods, though, were considered to be rather unconventional and brutal by many prominent members of the Order, so she was often treated with some disdain. If word got out that he had been sparring with her and perhaps taking some of her advice, some of that disdain would most likely be passed onto him. Considering his already less than splendid reputation, he certainly didn't need anything making things more difficult for him.

"Certainly an admirable goal and if you continue to show such improvement in your lightsaber skills, I have not doubt that one day you'll be every bit my equal." Master Windu said with complete honesty as he summoned two towels for them to wipe off the sweat dripping down the foreheads with, "However, do not try to push yourself too hard, too soon my young padawan. For even the most gifted of Jedi require years of training before they can be considered a master with a lightsaber."

"True, but I believe your young pupil may just have the potential to become the youngest lightsaber master in the history of the order." Came a cultured and oratory voice from the entrance of the hall.

Turning to the entrance to see who had spoken he found an elderly looking man, in his early to mid sixties perhaps, dressed in black with a brown cape hanging from his shoulders. He had an air of wisdom and nobility that he'd only ever really seen from the various Jedi Masters in the temple, with the members of the High Council having those qualities in abundance. Accompanying the man was Master Yoda, the newly promoted Master Obi-wan Kenobi and Anakin. For a moment he tried to place the man from the various people he'd seen in the temple since he first arrived in this alternate dimension but nothing came up. Then he recalled what Rreya had mentioned earlier and compared this man with the bust from the Jedi Archives. With a near perfect match between the bust and the man, he was forced to conclude that this was indeed former Jedi Master Dooku, who was now the Count of Serenno.

"Thank you for the compliment, Count Dooku but I still have years ahead of me before I can ever claim that title." He said politely knowing it would be a mistake to speak any other way to a man of Dooku's standing, "Still, I think I am off to a good start."

"While we only arrived in time to catch the last few moments of your sparring match with Master Windu, I must say that I agree." Dooku said with obvious praise, "However, perhaps I could make a more accurate assessment of your skills if you would agree to a light sparring session with me. With your approval, of course, Master Yoda."

"Have objections, I do not." Stated the little green Jedi Master.

"Master Windu?" Dooku asked the man who was primarily responsible for Xander's training.

"I have no problem with it, so long as some restraint is used." Windu replied politely, though erring on the side of caution for his padawan's sake.

"Of course, of course, I would never think to fight to my fullest in a simple sparring match." Dooku said making it clear he would abide by Mace's condition, "Shall we, Padawan Xander?"

Stepping back to allow Dooku onto the sparring mat, he watched as the elder Force user summoned a lightsaber from the shelf on the other side of the room. In the space of time between the man reaching out with his right hand and the 'saber landing in it, Xander did his best to remember everything he could from his lessons; despite the Count's declaration that he would exercise some restraint in the match, he knew that it would take everything he had just to make the match last longer than a few moments. If he recalled correctly from what Master Windu had taught him, Dooku was a master of the second form of lightsaber combat, called Makashi. It was a style of fluidity, grace and precision with the intention being to exercise as little effort as possible while your opponent tires him/herself out. The most obvious way to counter this would be to use form three, Soresu, but he was sure Dooku would be expecting him to use it. That led to considering Ataru but soon discarded it since he knew only the basics and it would leave him extremely vulnerable to disabling attacks, given his inexperience. That left only matching Dooku's Makashi by using it himself or going with the form Djem So, favored by such Jedi as Master Secura and Master Koon. It was during this final moment of consideration that an idea came to him that was quite cunning and might just give him a chance against the more experienced duellist.

Seeing the training 'saber finally reach Dooku's hand, he ignited his training 'saber and saluted him in the traditional manner before falling into the aggressive neutral 'saber stance. Dooku seemed to be pleased by this choice, if the small grin was any indication, but the expression left him quickly as he ignited the blue blade of his training saber and mimicked the earlier salute before falling into a defensive neutral stance. With the match unofficially begun, Xander waited for a while to see if he could draw the Count into launching the first attack, since that would increase the effectiveness of his plan. The former Jedi didn't disappoint him for, in the blink of an eye, the silver haired warrior darted forward with a thrust aimed at Xander's right shoulder. With the minimum amount of movement, speed and strength necessary, the attack was parried as well as immediately countered with a short slash directed at the inside of Dooku's 'saber arm. This was evaded, but that was to be expected considering the differences in their skill levels. Pressing forward he launched a series of slashes and thrusts with the intention of keeping Dooku on the defensive unless the former Jedi Master increased the strength, speed and skill of his efforts to the next level. It would be at that point that he'd put the second phase of his plan into action.

Like clockwork, the former member of the Jedi Order eventually got tired of being on the defensive and began to launch an offensive of his own. This was when the battle shifted as Xander went from using Makashi to using a style he had watched Master Galia use and had learned to emulate to a certain degree. It involved switching the way he held his lightsaber into the reverse grip and began a series of wide and long swings that he intended to use to keep Dooku at a distance. With such wide swings, the Count would have to be extra careful if he tried to go on the offensive since; one miscalculation could result in a badly burned limb. It was only after about a minute, though, that Xander began to rethink that premise as Dooku darted in with a thrust at the exact moment the tip of the training 'saber passed by him. Barely managing to pull back and out of the reach of the thrust, he shifted into form three, Soresu, in order to buy some time defensively until he could decide where to go from there. Time for contemplation was in short supply, though, as it took almost all his focus to keep up with the lightning fast thrusts and slashes Dooku was sending his way.

_I need a way to turn this around and **FAST!** _He thought since he didn't like his chances of lasting much longer.

Deciding to go with unpredictability, he immediately began to employ form four, Ataru, using every ounce of speed and agility he could to minimize the amount of time his vital areas were exposed. Keeping his body as compact as possible while in mid-air, he still attempted a few attacks but they were easily parried by the superior 'saber duellist. As the first stages of fatigue began to set in, he knew that while this form of lightsaber combat might allow him to take the offensive, it was also tiring him out way too fast, which, unfortunately, was precisely what Makashi was designed to do and, while he never believed he'd be able to win the match against Count Dooku, he didn't want to outright lose either. Using a series of back flips, with the last one boosted a bit by using the Force, he fell into a defensive neutral stance and waited for the former Jedi Master to come to him. He didn't have to wait long and the moment his training 'saber clashed with the Count's, he began to use what he knew of Djem So in an attempt to force the match to a conclusion. Either he would tired the elder Force user out and pressure him into delivering a single blow of his own to end the fight or he'd exhaust what energy he had left and be disarmed easily.

As it turned out the former was the scenario that came to pass because, immediately after delivering a powerful horizontal slash meant to push Dooku's 'saber out of position, the bearded man thrust his free hand out and used the Force to push him into the air before allowing him to crash back down to the floor twelve feet away. The attack knocked the wind out of him and he knew that if he didn't get up quickly he'd lose the match. Unfortunately for his pride, the matter was decided for him when Master Windu stepped between the two of them to stop the match.

"I think that's enough for now." Master Windu said with a slightly stern glance at both him and Count Dooku.

If only for a moment it looked as though the Count might challenge this decision but then it vanished behind the noble ruler bearing Dooku wore before the match. Shutting down his training 'saber, he sent it back to its resting spot on the shelf with the others before walking over to Xander and offering him a helping hand up.

"It would seem my original assessment of your potential remains unchanged, young padawan." Dooku said once Xander was back on his feet, "With time, training and some experience in the field, I see you becoming Master Windu's equal quite easily. Perhaps if you were to apply yourself more vigorously, you might even one day surpass him."

"Only time will tell I suppose." Xander said not wanting to let such high praise have too much sway over him.

"Indeed." Dooku said as if he knew something Xander did not.

"A most interesting display of skill, this young padawan has shown." Master Yoda commented as he hobbled forward on his walking stick, "Promise in many forms, he shows."

"Quite right, Master Yoda," Dooku said before a thought seemed to cross his mind. "Now while I would prefer to stay a while longer with you, my old friends, I am afraid I must return to Serenno. The duties of a count are many and cannot be neglected forever."

"Of course. Master Yoda and I will escort you to your transport." Master Windu stated courteously as he gestured towards the main entrance to the training hall.

"Thank you." Dooku said before turning to look Xander right in the eye, "Farewell to you, Padawan Xander. I shall look forward to hearing news of your adventures with great anticipation."

"Safe journey, Count Dooku." Xander said before politely bowing to the former Jedi Master.

With that the party of Master Windu, Master Yoda and former Master Dooku left the training hall. Waiting until he was certain they were out of both sight and Force sensing range, he let himself drop to his knees as the fatigue from the match was permitted to show itself. He had done his best to hide just how tired he was from his audience earlier in order to keep from disappointing Master Windu, but now that the man was gone there was no reason to keep up the pretence.

"Xander! Are you alright?" Anakin asked with concern as he quickly went to his fellow padawan's side.

"Never Better!" Xander replied in a false but humorous show of bravado that had the desired effect of easing his friend's concern, "Though I think I might have to work on my stamina a bit."

"Nevertheless, you did quite well, considering who your opponent was, young one." Master Kenobi stated with a smile of encouragement, "Perhaps you and Anakin should consider training together during your free time. Both of you could benefit from learning what the other has to offer."

"Sounds like a plan." Xander said as he slowly pushed himself back to his feet, "I'll try not to embarrass your padawan too much, Master Kenobi."

"Hey! Maybe it'll be you that gets embarrassed!" Anakin retorted angrily but the emotion in his voice was shown to be false thanks to the smile on his face.

"If I wasn't so tired, I'd make you eat those words Anni." Xander said with a smile of his own.

Those words were all it took to cause all three of them to break into light laughter and a bond of close brotherly friendship was formed.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Count Dooku's Ship, Shortly After Entering Hyperspace, Personal Quarters 

_It would seem that my spy's report was not exaggerated after all._ Dooku thought as he looked at one Padawan Xander's file on his personal computer's view screen.

It had been about two months ago when he had first received the report from his spy in the Jedi Temple, regaling him with tales of the green-skinned padawan's growing skill with a lightsaber. Of course the report was treated with skepticism and, at the time, he had thought it was nothing more than an attempt to curry favor with him. However when a completely separate source also stated that the young padawan had exhibited impressive skills, it had formed an itch in his mind that he had felt compelled to investigate in person. However there had been an obstacle in the path of doing so in the form of concealing his new allegiance to the Dark Side of the Force. He knew that without some means of concealing this shift, he would be discovered the moment his former teacher laid eyes on him. That had prompted him to contact his master, Lord Sidious, and inquire as to how he was able to conceal his true nature from those adept in the ways of the Force. It was a difficult technique to learn but, after two months of practice, he had felt confident enough to put it to the test.

_Those complacent **fools!**_ He thought as he turned off the view screen in front of him, _A Sith Lord right in front of them and they didn't suspect a thing!_

The only thing that pleased him more was the skill that Padawan Xander had shown in their little duel. Instead of finding a hoax, he found that the green skinned padawan, one that bore physical traits similar to his former Master, Yoda, held much potential. He had been truthful when he had speculated that the padawan might surpass Master Windu in terms of skill with a lightsaber one day. He was certainly intelligent enough to do so since, throughout the entire duel, he had been no more than a step behind the boy as the young one's strategy played out. The attempt to trick him into a contest of Makashi before switching into a style that, in theory, would minimize his opportunities to attack. Later the boy had made a foolish choice of attempting to use Ataru to overwhelm him but showed intelligence later in abandoning the form once he realized his mistake, which was more than some young knights were capable of doing. All in all, the young padawan proved to be most promising and, if all went well, Xander would prove to be a most suitable apprentice for him.

All that would be required now would be for certain events to be arranged to show the young man the shortcomings of the Jedi Order and the seductive qualities of the Dark Side of the Force. His master, Lord Sidious, was already rapidly approaching a crucial point in his luring of Anakin Skywalker to his side and it was vital that Padawan Xander keep pace with his 'Chosen One' rival. For while he did not doubt his Master's claims that his position at the right hand of the future Emperor was secure, his knowledge of the ways of the Sith required that he, at the very least, have a contingency plan just in case. Xander would be that contingency and the beautiful part of it all was that those fools on the Jedi High Council were doing all the hard work for him. By the time he was ready to make his first move towards luring the young padawan to the Dark Side, he would already be ready for the trials to become a Jedi Knight. Once that was done, events would manipulated to show the boy the 'wisdom' of turning his back on the Jedi and embracing the Sith way.

Until then he could keep himself occupied by continuing to lead those fools that had founded Confederacy of Independent Systems down the path that his Master had laid out for them. A malicious grin formed on his face as he imagined the glorious future that was fast approaching as well as the part he would have in ruling over the multitude of systems that currently made up the Republic.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Approaching Padawan Xander's Quarters, Mid-Evening 

_I hope Master is okay._ Erica thought with some worry as she proceeded to her destination.

Now, some might think it ridiculous to think that a droid, even one as sophisticated as a synth droid, could worry at all with most people claiming that it was nothing more than a series of pre-programmed responses that drove its actions. However these people would be wrong for two reasons. First they would be wrong about Erica not being able to worry because, more than anyone suspected, her creator, Massad Thrumble, was a genius and light years ahead of his peers in the area of droid engineering. In her, at least according to her memories of him, he claimed to have come as close to creating a human being artificially as was possible with technology at its current levels. Now some might think 'so what', given she was classified as being a human replica droid but few realized just how literal, that designation was for her. The H.R.D classification was given almost purely because of her physical characteristics rather than anything mental. Despite the advances made in droid engineering everyone, with the exception of Massad, believed that a droid would always be a droid mentally and nothing more. However according to her creator, he had designed her so that she could literally evolve mentally with each new experience she went through. Where normal droids would be ultimately limited in how far they could adapt to better serve their owners, she was no more limited than your average human in that regard. Thrumble had even told her that should the unthinkable happen and her Master perish, she would be perfectly capable of living autonomously from that moment on if she so chose.

_Not that I would wish for anything to happen to Master Xander, of course. S_he thought as she reached the door to his room, _From what I have seen of him, he is a kind and loyal person. I believe that if I had been allowed to choose my first master I would have chosen him._

Pressing the button on the panel next to the door, which would notify Xander that someone sought permission to enter his room, she reviewed what she had learned earlier in the day but had only just now been able to act on. According to Jedi Master Jocasta Nu, the head of the Archives where she worked, a former Jedi Master named Dooku had engaged in a sparring match with her Master earlier in the day. She had been about ready to run out of the Archives room right then and there to ascertain Xander's status but Jocasta quickly assured her that Master Xander was alright. The elderly woman went on to explain that neither participant in the match had been injured and that even if a blade of a training lightsaber were to strike a person's skin, a slight shock and moderate burns were the worst damage one could receive from them. While this did succeed in preventing her from immediately seeking her Master out, the moment Master Nu said she could return to her quarters she left the Archives with only one person in mind: Xander. Now here she was and, before she left, she'd fully ascertain his medical status, reprimand him for doing something so risky despite it being non-lethal and then attempt to soothe his muscles that were most likely aching right now. She knew that even with the healing techniques he had learned from the Jedi, they would not alleviate all of the pain or soreness he was no doubt feeling.

_Especially with his frequent late night training sessions that he thinks I don't know about._ She thought as she heard him grant permission to enter his quarters, _Something has been deeply troubling Master recently. I wish he would confide in me and let me help._

Once the door opened and Xander saw her, she could tell that he had an idea of why she had come. If she intended to alleviate his pain at all she would have to be a little more creative in how she approached the situation. A direct attempt to aide him would only result in him stating he was perfectly capable of enduring the minor pain he was feeling and did not require help. Taking only a slightly round about route to achieve her goal would also not work as he would no doubt meet with defeat as Master seemed… uneasy whenever she attempted to employ one of her many relaxation techniques. He had given her a brief explanation once before of why this was so stating that it was a custom of his people that only a man and a woman are involved in an intimate relationship was such physical contact and personal interaction permitted. When she had inquired further, he had only given the answer 'that is just the way it is' and spoken no more to her on the subject. Obstructed from her primary source of information on human behaviour and her own personal database provided by her creator being limited, she had utilized her position in the archives to her advantage. It had taken some time but eventually she managed to access the files on human relationships she sought.

_I never knew that human mating practices could be so complex._ She thought as she stepped into Xander's room.

It did clear up a few things about her Master's behaviour, though even if it did not overly prove useful in devising a way to overcome his reluctance to employ her more pleasurable capabilities. After all, according to her train of thought, humans enjoyed activities that brought them pleasure and helped them to forget the pain of their daily lives. While life in the Jedi Temple was more tranquil than other human workplaces, it was still possible to be hurt here both physically and emotionally. Add to that the fact that Xander obviously did seek out certain activities that he could derive pleasure and gratification from and it puzzled her as to why he did not explore the options present in her. It was a dilemma she had resolved to solve and right now she promised herself that she would either gain more data about her Master to understand how he thought or she would finally overcome his reluctance for good.

"Good evening Xander." She said calling him by his preferred designation, "I heard you had a little bit of excitement this morning."

"Just a light sparring session with Count Dooku of Serenno," he stated as he picked up a data pad from a nearby table and briefly read its contents. "According to both Master Windu and Master Yoda, I showed great promise with a lightsaber. Nice, huh?"

"Quite. From what I have… heard of your training sessions with Master Windu you do seem to be learning quite fast." She said in agreement careful not to let on that she had been covertly monitoring his lessons since she came to live at the temple.

"Don't you mean 'seen' Erica?" Xander asked with a knowing eyebrow raised, "Rreya knows you've been keeping an eye on me during my lessons with Master Windu and if she knows then half the temple likely does as well."

_Busted!_ She thought mimicking the way her Master once reacted when he had been caught doing something he had been told not to do.

"We've been over this Erica. In order for you to stay here in the temple and follow your programming to keep me safe, we have to keep everyone from suspecting that you're either a 'possession' or 'personal attachment'." Master Xander said, trying one more time to make her understand, "Not exactly an easy thing to do if people see you spying on me often."

"I know and I am sorry Xander." She said genuinely sorry for potentially causing him trouble with his Jedi superiors, "I just can't help worrying whenever you get into situation where you are in even the slightest bit of danger. I know that Master Windu is among the most skilled lightsaber users in the Order and that the training 'sabers themselves are relatively harmless but my tactical database has several entries where seemingly harmless objects can be made deadly. I just want you to be safe."

Xander looked taken aback a bit and she knew it was most likely due to the progress she had made in updating her linguistic software to better match the way Master spoke. There were still some differences that she had yet to fully understand and adapt to but she was confident she would have a complete grasp of it soon.

"I understand that, but just living a normal life means taking risks and being in some kind of danger." Xander said with a look of understanding and sympathy for she felt, "You can't protect me from life Erica. Look, if it'll help make you feel better, do some research on lightsabers, both the combat ready ones and the training type, as well as how they're used. Do some reading about Master Windu as well and then you'll see that the odds of me being seriously hurt in the temple are remote at best."

"Perhaps." She declared adding his suggestions to the list of things she would do tomorrow, "At least allow me to help soothe your muscles. They must be pretty sore right now."

As she had anticipated his guard immediately came up and she knew that unless she said something first he would come up with reason after reason why her aide wasn't necessary.

"You cannot tell me that you are fine Xander. I saw enough of your lessons with Master Windu to know you become quite tired when they are over. I also know that you've been training in secret late at night when the majority of the temple residents are asleep." She said laying out her facts carefully to make sure any counterargument would be difficult, "As you would say, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that such combined exertions will take a significant toll on your body. I know that you are versed in several Jedi healing practices but they cannot remedy everything. Please let me use the skills I possess to 'make up for the difference' as you would say. I promise to stop the moment you ask me to do so."

She could tell from his body language and the database on his behavioural patterns she had created upon designating him her Master that he was making an attempt to come up with a reason to deny her request but was losing the battle. Her logic had been laid out perfectly and her promise to stop the moment he asked her to had pretty much eradicated what objections he had left to use against her.

"Fine! Just a massage though and only above the waist." He declared as he finally conceded to her request.

_YES!_ She thought since even this minor victory was an achievement in her mind.

Watching as he sat down on the bed and removed his top she walked up behind him in order to get into the proper position for what she intended to do. When both of them were in place and ready to begin she started using standard massage techniques to begin loosening up the muscles and getting rid of any knots she found. Once she was certain that enough time had passed that Master would no longer be as wary of her as he had been in the beginning she began to slip in some of the more **exotic** techniques. These techniques were not only designed to soothe aching muscles but also stimulate the pleasure centers of the brain via certain nerve clusters and pressure points. The truth was that she was probably the only person who could do this for Xander right now, since no one else had a detailed enough scan in their minds to know where to apply the pressure. The results she was getting were even more than she had hoped for, considering the strength of Master's resolve and determination. He appeared to be barely managing to keep himself in a sitting position and every once and awhile when she hit a particularly sensitive spot he would gasp in mix of relief and pleasure. It was clear that he was in a receptive state and so she decided that the time had come to move things along to where she thought they should be.

It wasn't that she was a prostitute or even a human fixated on sex, but rather she believed her relationship with Master Xander could best be described as lovers. After all, she cared greatly about him and she knew that he cared about her given the lengths he went to gain permission to allow her to remain in the temple. They also enjoyed each others company since she found him fascinating to observe and she believed he saw her as a confidant of sorts to air his daily concerns with. Their quarters were also close together, as one might expect of lovers, allowing them to see each other almost every morning before going off to their respective duties for the day. The only thing left in order to complete the image of lovers would be to actually engage in sexual activities. That is what she would be attempting here tonight and, if the effects her current techniques were producing were any hint, he would no longer be quite as resistant to the idea as he had been before when she first entered the room.

With a couple of quick movements with her hands, carefully so as not to alert Xander as to what she was doing, she undid the clasps that held up the dress she wore to work each day. With a barely perceivable whisper the front and back of her dress fell down to her waist exposing her upper body in all its topless glory. Her torso had undergone some slight modifications since she first came to the Jedi Temple, since she wanted to be the best possible fit for her Master that she could be. So she had observed him carefully when she could, specifically when he was around females of other species that closely resembled or were in fact human. She used her acute sensors and her knowledge of humanoid body language to determine not only which females he was most attracted to but also what physical attributes were common among those he was most attracted to. Once she had all the relevant data, she discovered that for the most part there was only one physical feature she was deficient in when compared to those her Master seemed to favor. So using her ability to alter her appearance to increase the size of her breasts by a cup and a half to better match the estimated size of the ones the females Master was attracted to during her surveillance. She had made that her new default setting rather than permit it to be temporary as specified in her default configuration since it would prove most awkward if her chest was to decrease in size all of a sudden.

With everything ready and in place, she eased closer to her Master and began to carefully rub the tips of her breasts against his back. Just brief rubs, so as not to attract his undivided attention just yet while at the same time increasing the potency of her massage techniques. Once she was sure that he was so caught up in the sensations he was experiencing, she made her first aggressive move and pressed her chest fully against his back while continuing to massage where and when she could. For awhile it appeared to work but, just as she was about to move onto the next stage of her plan, his resistance level skyrocketed and he bolted to his feet before turning to face her.

"Stop!" Xander commanded though it took him a few more minutes to collect himself, "Look Erica I know that you're just trying to the make the most of your programming and believe me you're a complete… knockout but we can't do things like that!"

"Why?" She asked genuinely puzzled as well as a little disappointed that her plan failed.

"Well, aside from what I told you earlier about the customs of my people, there's the fact that we live with over a hundred people capable of sensing the thoughts and emotions of others." Xander replied as he did his best avoid looking below her shoulders, "I may be coming along in learning to control my emotions and shield my mind from others, but I'm a **LONG** ways away from being able to hide those sorts of emotions! So please, for both our sakes, just stick to using the functions that are safe to use in this sort of environment."

"Very well Xander. As you wish." She said as she put the top of her dress back into place and fixed it there with the clasps, "At least I successfully tended to your sore muscles."

"Yeah, I guess you did." He said as though he had only just then realized that he no longer ached as he had before, "Thanks, Erica."

"It was my pleasure Xander." She said as she walked to the door and exited the room.

Turning to the right she walked the few steps there were to her own quarters and contemplated what had just happened between her and Master Xander as well as what it could mean. Contrary to his vocal objections to her more intimate techniques and her partial disrobing, she knew that he did indeed take pleasure in what she had done. If it wasn't the signs of excitement evident in his breathing patterns and in the dilation of his pupils, then the reactions of certain parts of his anatomy confirmed it beyond a reasonable doubt. If this was the case then why was he so resistant to something that brought him such pleasure? Taking a moment to think it over as she stood in front of her door, waiting the one point five seconds it would take for it to slide open, she consulted her files of humanoid behaviour and romantic practices. By the time the door had opened all the way and she had entered the room, she came to only two likely possibilities: a) Xander was determined to become a perfect Jedi and so was working to eliminate all obstacles that could prevent that or b) Master Xander was doing what many sources on human behaviour and romance termed 'playing hard to get'. Given that she had noted several instances, not the least of which was the mission to Muunilinst where they met, where Xander plainly chose not to follow established Jedi protocol and procedure. Therefore, it was unlikely that his resistance to her advances came from his desire to become a proper and disciplined Jedi.

That left only one possibility.

He was playing hard to get.

According to her files on the subject 'playing hard to get' was intended to increase the potency of love making by keeping the promise of such activity just out of reach. By not being able to have it right away, it increased the anticipation of the activity greatly especially since the other party would make it clear that he/she desired it as well. When she compared this information to what she had observed of his behaviour she found that it was almost a complete match. With the mystery solved, a grin formed on her face as she began to review what would be expected of her in such a situation. Once done she found herself greatly pleased that her Master had decided to hold off on the intimate contact a few moments ago in his room, for it only meant that he was promising her, covertly, that when the 'playing hard to get' stage was over with, the intimate and sexual activities would be that more enjoyable as well as interesting.

With a sway to her hips, something she was surprisingly unaware of, she walked to the bathroom to prepare herself for temporary dormancy and thoughts of the future danced in her mind.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&


	7. Breaking Curfew and the Rules

_**Two Years Later**_

_**(About one month prior to the start of 'Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones')**_

_**Jedi Temple, Coruscant, Early Afternoon**_

"See you later this afternoon, Xander Windu!" Rreya said sarcastically as the class dealing in diplomacy ended.

"Sure thing Bloody Rreya!" He yelled back as he began to head down to Master Windu's quarters where he'd be instructed in the more mental aspects of the Force.

She just stuck her tongue out at him in a juvenile display before walking away to her strategy and tactics class. Neither of them had been serious when they had used the nicknames but ever since he'd sparred with Count Dooku people had started paying more attention to his lightsabre skills. It wasn't long before some of the more sarcastic (cough Rreya) members of the Order had started to call him Xander Windu because his skill with a lightsaber was rising quickly under Mace's instruction. He'd managed to gain a competency in form three, Soresu, equal to his skill in Shii-cho and was just beginning to show some ability in Djem So if Master Windu's words of encouragement had been truthful, this was quite impressive as few among the Jedi had managed to progress at such a rate in recent memory and his personal instruction from Mace only encouraged others to connect the two of them. So in response to this he had given Rreya the Bloody title because of the crimson color of her skin rather than any violent or messy actions on her part. It had just become another part of the banter between the two of them and both had taken it as such so there were no hurt feelings or anything. Still they were both careful not to cross the lines blocking off certain sensitive topics of discussion.

One of those topics of discussion that he had only eight months ago managed to get the crimson Twi'lek to drop was that of Erica and his connection to her. While it hadn't been easy it was definitely worth it because ever since he'd come back from that mission to Muunilinst, she had made it a point to needle him about it at least once a day. Sometimes it would just be a subtle comment that only a person who knew most of the facts would catch and other times it was about as blunt as Master Yoda's speech patterns were fractured. It had even gotten so bad that Master Galia had once been forced to step in to discourage the Twi'lek from going any further, lest she unknowingly stray too close to the truth. Of course Rreya wasn't the only one making things difficult for him, but at least her designs only involved bugging the hell out of him every day. With Erica, though, things were a little more complicated both in understanding the H.R.D and in evading her myriad… overtures. Apparently the synth-droid was determined to make full use of her many skills and abilities, so she was doing her best to wear down his defenses on that issue.

It had started not long after that awkward massage she had given him after his sparring session with Count Dooku two years ago. For the first couple of months it had started out as something that could easily be misinterpreted, like a word that had a double meaning or could be taken a number of different ways depending on how it was used. Basically she used a barrage of double entendres that had distinctly intimate and perhaps downright lewd leanings, depending on how a person looked at them. Oh, she excused herself and claimed that she was still working out the various flaws, gaps and inconsistencies in her linguistic algorhythems, but he hadn't believed her for a second. Over the months that followed her efforts gradually escalated going from 'honest mistakes' to 'wardrobe malfunctions' to various degrees to the latest strategy of arranging for him to walk into her room while she was partially or completely nude. She went through the traditional motions of a woman who had just had a man unexpectedly walk in on her while getting dressed, of course. However the effectiveness of these motions, however, were sabotaged by the fact that the sheet she had used to cover herself up was not only semi-transparent but also clung to her curves quite snugly. Then, of course, she moved to get into the bathroom where he couldn't see her but the moment she turned her back he saw that she sheet just barely covered her butt while leaving the rest of her back bare.

He had no doubt that she was doing these things on purpose rather than by accident like she had claimed each time. While he had only known her since he'd literally bumped into her on Muunilinst, he had a fairly good idea of her personality and how she'd act under certain circumstances. Obviously she had either misinterpreted something he'd said that night when she had decided to massage his back with her tits or had decided to employ an alternate means of wearing down his objections to utilizing her more exotic skills. In any case, he was seriously in a bind both because he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep his teenage hormones under control and because he was sure that sooner or later one of the knights or Masters would catch them in a compromising position. That would mean a meeting with the High Council for sure and possibly a reassessment of the deal that allowed Erica to stay in the Temple with him. The thing was, he had a good idea of how to put an end to it but his concern for how Erica would take it kept stopping it - he knew that others would say that she was just a droid and that he shouldn't be so worried about hurting a droid's feelings or even believe that druids had feelings. He knew that the vast majority of the Galactic Republic saw droids as being no different than a starship or a hydrospanner. To those people droids were merely tools or a collection of circuits and programmed responses to specific situations.

For him though it was different or at least it was when it came to Erica.

To him she seemed more like Anya when she got stuck in the body of a high school girl and had to learn from scratch what it meant to be human and act like one. Of course Erica had more tact and actually did research when she didn't understand something rather than the former vengeance demon that just trotted along learning new rules of behavior only when it was pointed out that she had just broken them. Add to that the fact that she had almost mastered English, both proper and his slang from California, and he was definitely head and shoulders above any ordinary droid he'd met to date. Most droids he'd met since coming to this dimension were pretty much idiots. Hell! They made the Buffybot back home look like straight 'A' students by comparison. Sure they could recite facts and do what they were built for but that was about it. They couldn't evolve or grow past their assigned function and no matter how hard you tried to teach them new things they could never rise above amateur status in those newly learned skills. Erica was different though and in his opinion was a lot closer to being a normal human being than being a droid.

That being the case telling her right out that he wouldn't be returning her advances anytime soon would likely hurt her just the same as a normal girl would when the person they had feelings for bluntly told her that he had none for her. It wasn't that he didn't care for her or about her, but a relationship beyond friendship between them just wasn't possible. Aside from the obvious complications it would cause with the Jedi Order, there was also the fact that he viewed her as more of a confidante and friend than a potential girlfriend. In a way, this situation reminded him a lot of him and Willow in that he knew Erica had feelings for him, in a manner of speaking, but his mind refused to see her as anything other than 'one of the guys'. As such he had decided from day one that he would act towards Erica as he had towards Willow in the hopes that her more-than-friends feelings for him would fade away.

_Knowing my luck though she'll probably keep at it no matter what I say, so I'm screwed._ He thought as he began to walk up the steps that would take him to his next class, _Both figuratively and most likely literally sooner or later. _

He was just about to take the last step when suddenly he found himself somewhere else, a ship of some kind judging by the various consoles in the room, and things were not looking good at all. Screens were busted and the ones that still worked were flashing red warning signs indicating serious trouble again and again that even to the most inexperienced space traveler meant trouble. The main lights that normally illuminated the bridge, which was where he assumed he was, were out leaving only what illumination the various screens could provide. That was enough for him to make out the various members of the bridge crew racing from console to console in an attempt to deal with the crisis that was obviously taking place. From what he could see of their uniforms they were from Naboo, but not a part of the security forces in charge of protecting the peaceful planet from attack. None of them were in very good condition with injuries ranging from broken bones to nasty cuts that turn what bandages they had applied red.

_What's going on here!?_ He thought as he tried to figure out how he went from being in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant to being on a Nubian ship, _More importantly, why **the hell** did some higher power pick me to see this?!_

The answer came soon after the thought crossed his mind as he heard the sound of a door to the rear of the bridge opening up and when he turned to see who it was he froze in place as his mind supplied the answer.

_Sarahari!_ He thought as he recognized the Catharian right away despite the fact that she was wearing the uniform of a Naboo security officer.

It had been years since that mission to Muunilinst where he had stumbled across Xizor's slave trafficking and saved a group of traumatized women from a life as someone's plaything. He had learned shortly after Erica's fate had been decided that those rescued slaves who could not be returned to their native world's or simply did not want to go back there would be taken to whatever planet they wished at the expense of the Jedi Order. He had never been told where exactly they had gone, the eight that had no home or family to return to, and any inquiries he had were politely brushed aside. He hadn't been very happy about that but with there being little he could do to change things he had accepted it and moved on. To suddenly have Sarahari thrown back into his life like this was a surprise even more so considering the situation she was in.

"Captain! The engine room reports that they just lost another engine and the one that's left is showing signs of giving out any second now!" Sarahari reported with a look on her face showing that she was furious at her current situation, "Have you had any luck getting through to spaceport security on Ord Mantell?"

"Not so much as a peep! Either we're being jammed or they're ignoring us completely!" Replied the Captain from the pilot's seat since the man assigned to that post was a bloody mess on the floor at the moment, "Considering the planet is a haven for criminals as well as being a tourist spot, I wouldn't be surprised if they've been paid off."

Sarahari growled something in her native language and, while he didn't understand a word of it, he highly doubted it was 'why how nice of them'. Probably wasn't even something as tame as the Catharian equivalent of 'DAMN THEM' given that she looked like she'd like nothing more than to tear those crooked comm. officers to shreds at the moment. Before she could say any more 'compliments' the ship shook violently and he had a feeling that the ship was telling its crew that the final engine had just bit the dust. That left only maneuvering thrusters and maybe the systems used for flight within a planet's atmosphere but that was like going from a motorbike to a tri-cycle in terms of speed or maneuverability. Whoever was attacking them had the ship from Naboo exactly where he/she/it wanted them and that was at their mercy.

_This is crazy! Why am I seeing this if there's nothing I can to do save them!_ He thought as frustration born of a feeling of uselessness grew inside of him.

"Captain! Do we still have those surplus fuel tanks in the cargo hold?" Sarahari asked once she had regained her balance.

"Well yeah but with the engine's gone what's the point?" the Captain asked as he tried frantically to find a way to save his ship as well as the lives of those onboard.

"One of the aft laser batteries is still partially functional." She replied with determination, "The targeting system is offline but it should still fire. If we dump the surplus tanks and detonate them in the pirates' path we might be able to 'discourage' them from continuing their pursuit of us."

"That'd still leave us with no shields, no engines except thrusters and a ship that's barely managing to stay together," stated the Captain who while encouraged by the plan still wasn't optimistic about their chances for survival.

"One problem at a time Captain, one problem at a time." Sarahari said with a look in her eye that made it clear that blocking her efforts any further would lead to unpleasantness.

"Fine. You man the laser and I'll dump the fuel." Declared the Captain who knew he was caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place.

Striding towards the tactical console with determination and a will to live that even the Grim Reaper would take notice of Sarahari looked like she could take on an army of battle droids all on her own. Within moment she had the targeting screen for the laser battery she mentioned up and was ready to perform do her part.

"Ready!" she declared as the targeting crosshairs settled into place.

Now that he had a way to see who was attacking his friend Xander looked over the Catharian's shoulder to get a look at the profiles of the pirate ships. From what he could tell it appeared to be one heavily modified starfreighter and two smaller golden colored fighters. The freighter was obviously the big gun with the fighters assigned to outmaneuver their prey and keep the poor ship from getting too big a lead on the starfreighter. There were no identifiable markings on the freighter or the fighters and no profiles were popping up which meant they didn't match anything in the database the ship had. Only their actions and their combat outfitted ships proved that they were pirates or at the very least hired mercenaries. That made him wonder if the half-baked reason he'd given her the last time they'd been face-to-face, that associates of Xizor would come looking for her, had come true.

"Opening cargo bay doors in 5…4…3…2…1…NOW!" the Captain exclaimed as he pressed a button in the left hand of his console.

With a slight shudder as the cargo bay was suddenly depressurized bits and pieces of cargo began to show up on the targeting screen in front of the Catharian. It wasn't hard to figure out which of the blips were the surplus fuel tanks considering their size and configuration. With careful precision she brought the crosshairs over until it rested right between the three of them. From there it became a waiting game since she'd only get one chance at this and probably needed to wait until the pirate ships got a little closer in order for the explosion to do any damage. Time wasn't exactly on her side though considering their ship was barely holding together but he knew there was little else Sarahari or the rest of the crew could do.

"Almost… just a little further….FIRING!" she yelled and with perhaps a little more force than needed pressed the firing button letting loose a volley of laser fire at the tanks.

With an explosion easily the size of the freighter the pirate ships most likely didn't know what hit them but he sure as hell couldn't tell because not only did the explosion knock the targeting screen offline but it also sent everyone, except him, for a tumble as the Naboo ship was tossed forward end over end by the shockwave. The only thing that kept most of the crew that was still alive from getting injured further was that they had been smart enough to grab a hold of something when the Catharian woman declared she was firing the laser battery. Still it was a minute or two before the Captain could bring the ship back under some semblance of control though given the colorful language he could understand the situation had not improved as much as they'd thought it would.

"Status?" Sarahari asked while wiping a trickle of blood that had been dripping over her eye.

"Well the good news is it looks like your insane scheme sent the pirates packing." Replied the captain before punching the side of the console to get it to light up again, "The bad news is that the blast knocked all but three of our maneuvering thrusters offline as well as adding to the damage of the hull. I don't even know if we'd survive the trip through Ord Mantell's atmosphere much less a landing."

This got a growl of renewed frustration as the Catharian no doubt was cursing the way their luck was going despite her off the wall plan for shaking the pirates.

"Fine! Head for one of the moons instead." Sarahari ordered as her right fist shook with the desire to pound someone into a puddle of goo, "We'll stop there and make what repairs we can. With a little luck we might be able to get enough systems working to make it planet-side."

Xander was just about to try and speak with them, seeing as how he wasn't sure what it was that he was experiencing therefore it might be possible, when out of nowhere a hand clamped down on his shoulder and suddenly he was back in the Jedi temple.

"Are you alright padawan?" Asked a female voice from behind him.

Turning he found that it was Master Ti from the High Council and this caused him to immediately collect himself mentally.

"I think so Master Ti." He replied keeping to himself the events that he had seen played out before him.

He had no clue what that had been since it sure as hell didn't match any description he'd ever come across of what a Force vision was supposed to be like. When he had decided to do some research on Force visions, after that night he'd talked with the Dark Woman, and most of the info he'd come across stated that they happened during meditation or while asleep. Considering that he was very much awake and definitely not in a meditative state of mind the odds were definitely against what he'd experienced being a Force vision. No reason to do something that would have the Masters look at him odd or try and give him one of their odd cryptic style tests to see if he was still sane or something.

"Master Yoda wishes to see you in the communications room immediately." Shaak Ti said with a look on her face that told him clearly that she knew something was off with him.

"Very well then." He said before bowing to her politely, "See you later then Master Ti."

Finishing the final step he had been about to take before the vision/dream/whatever had come over him he turned left and headed down the hallway towards the communications room. With every step though he could feel the female Jedi Master's eyes on him but even more noticeable was the feeling of dread that was beginning to coalesce within him. A vision showing a woman from his past in trouble and a rather unusual summons to the communications room both happening on the same day within minutes of each other.

It had to be a coincidence right?

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

_Jedi Temple, Coruscant, Communications Room_

"Master Yoda you wished to see me?" Padawan Xander asked as the door to the communications room slid shut.

"Indeed I did." Master Yoda replied as he hobbled over to the central communications console, "A transmission we did receive. From the security forces of Naboo it came. Meant for you it was."

He had been hesitant to show the young padawan the message because after viewing it himself he knew it would stir deep emotions in the Learner. The young man had come a long way since first appearing in the High Council chambers five years ago, much farther than some thought Xander was capable of, but there were still moments when he strayed from what he had been taught. Nevertheless it had been his decision that it would do less damage to show the young one this message now than to have him find out about it later and ask why it had not been passed onto him. Pressing a few buttons he brought up the appropriate communications log and initiated the recording to be displayed via holographic projection above the central console.

As the image gained coherence and the projectors fell into sync with one another a widening of the eyes was all it took to tell him that Xander recognized the Catharian before him. However both to his eyes and to his skill in the Force he sensed that there was something more going on inside the young padawan's head than just the recognition of someone from his past.

Interesting it was.

"Greetings Padawan Xander. It has been a long time since we last spoke and yet I still remember and uphold my promise to guard those whom you freed from Xizor." Sarahari said with professionalism, "When my group was given a choice of planets where we could seek shelter, I chose Naboo since I did not think that Xizor or his associates would be able to look for us there without drawing attention to themselves. Smugglers, thieves and pirates wouldn't exactly blend in on such a peaceful and serene planet. I joined the local security forces both to keep tabs on incoming ships in case I had been mistaken about our being safe on this world. The others found work nearby at a local library doing anything from helping visitors to janitorial work. Everything proceeded peacefully from then on for over four years. However last month that all changed."

"A ship claiming to carry refugees from the systems currently coming together in opposition to the Galactic Republic, the Confederacy of Independent systems, came to Naboo begging for permission to land. Naturally with no suspicious symbols on the hull and no weapons that the sensor net could detect they were granted that permission." Sarahari said with a tight voice that spoke of great anger, "We were such fools! No sooner did the 'refugee' ship land then pirates and mercenaries charged out of the craft killing everyone they came across. All security forces were called into action to combat them and after two hours of fighting we thought we had the matter all wrapped up. However I learned later that the massacre was just a distraction! The real objective was not robbery or murder but rather to kidnap those girls under my protection!"

This provoked a reaction of shock and fear in the young padawan that was stronger than one might expect considering he only knew the freed slaves but briefly and had had no contact with them since then. However he had come to understand that the young one was a man of deep feelings and even deeper loyalty therefore it was possible that Xander believed that since he was the one who freed them from slavery they were still his responsibility.

"We interrogated those criminals we captured alive and went over their ship thoroughly for any clue as to where they may have taken my charges. However the kidnappers were surprisingly thorough both in their conditioning of their men and in keeping the ship free of anything helpful." Sarahari said as she got her temper under control, "Our only hope turned out to be the weapons we confiscated off of them. Most were your average blaster pistols that are easy to acquire, but some were clearly modified and one of the volunteers I work with recognized the handiwork. These custom jobs were done by only a select number of dealers and none of those dealers works in bulk. They only do work on a person to person basis making each weapon unique and thus traceable."

"It took a few days but we were able to match most of the custom jobs to their dealers and will be departing tomorrow to question these people." Sarahari explained briefly looking off to the side for a moment before resuming, "I am leaving instructions for this message to be sent to you should my ship fail to report in at the designated time. Attached to the transmission is a complete record of everything we've been able to uncover thus far. With luck you will be able to succeed where I have failed. Live well Xander."

With those words the message sent by the Catharian ended and the information she mentioned began to scroll down the holo-display. With a click he terminated the display, not wanting the young Padawan to see too much, and looked to Xander to measure his reaction to this troubling news.

"How long has it been since Sarahari last checked in?" Xander asked with concern as he moved towards the screen where the name of the comm. File was still displayed.

"Two days since Sarahari's last report it has been." Yoda replied politely while speaking as though it was not any of his concern, "In deliberations about what to do the Naboo security forces are."

"What's to deliberate? One of their ships has gone missing along with its crew." Xander asked as thought he could not understand how the security forces could pass on this course of action, "They should go to the last place Sarahari put in a report and start tracking her ship from there."

"Not lightly armed Sarahari's ship was. Well trained she and her crew were." Yoda said as he cleared the comm. File's name from the screen, "Consider the danger the security forces of Naboo must."

"Sarahari can't wait that long." Xander said with more certainty than concern in his voice.

"Know something do you?" Yoda asked with interest.

"Just before Master Ti informed me that you wanted to see me here I think I had a vision of some kind. At least I think it was a vision." He replied with some uncertainty in his voice, "It was like one minute I was in the temple walking to my next class and the next I was on a Nubian ship with Sarahari. It was under attack by pirates and the ship was barely managing to hold together. They managed to get the freighter and its two fighters to back off but their ship was still in pretty bad shape. They were going to try and make an emergency landing and do some patch job repairs. I was about to try and speak with them, to see if it was a vision I was experiencing or something else, when Shaak Ti snapped me out of it."

"Hmmmm." Yoda said as he thought on what the young Learner had told him.

This was not the first time that he had heard of young Xander having a vision or rather claiming to experience one. It had been during meditating that he had been informed by the Dark Woman of the young Learner's dream foretelling of the destruction of the Order by the Sith. While not entirely disbelieving of the Learner's claims none of the High Council who knew of this showed any real concern. However with this revelation the elderly master had to wonder if he and his colleagues should have taken the nightmare/vision more seriously. Taking the padawan's behavior now since he entered the room into account it was a strong indicator that Xander did indeed have advance knowledge of Sarahari's situation. Interesting.

"Know where they are do you?" Yoda asked hoping to get enough information to pass along to the Naboo security forces so that they could handle the matter.

"They were on approach to Ord Mantell when they came under attack." Padawan Xander replied encouraged at the thought of helping aide get to the Catharian, "After they shook off the pirates though they were going to set down on one of the moons to do some repairs so they could survive re-entry for a landing on Ord Mantell itself."

"Inform the security forces on Naboo I will. Their case it is." He said as he began to set up the system for a connection to Naboo.

"That may not be the best course of action, Master." Xander said tentatively as though he was unsure if he should have spoken.

"Hmmmm?" Yoda asked inquisitively.

"You said yourself that the ship Sarahari was on was pretty well armed and the crew all experienced people." Padawan Xander replied as he laid out his reasoning, "While it could just be coincidence that pirates happened to attack them when they entered the Ord Mantell system I don't think it was at all. I think that is where the kidnapped girls are and judging how Sarahari and her crew were treated I don't think their captors are going to go any easier on any other Naboo ship that goes there. I think this is a mission for the Jedi Master."

"Mmmmm? To aide Sarahari you wish?" Yoda asked as he placed both hands on the top of his gnarled walking stick.

"Well… yeah… I guess. I mean, if the vision came to me then it makes sense that I'm meant to do something about it, right?" the Learner asked looking a little uneasy at how his presumption might be perceived.

"Intended to only pass along the information perhaps you were." Yoda replied as he tried to thwart any ideas that might be growing in the young padawan's head, "Discuss the matter with the Council I will. Determine whether or not to send aide we will."

"But Master--!" Xander protested looking like he'd continue to argue the matter for however long it took until he was assigned the mission with a knight or Master.

"Final my decision is!" Yoda said with steel in his voice, "Dismissed you are, Padawan Xander."

For a moment it looked as though the young man would continue despite the finality of his decision but then the truth of the matter must have sunk in. No matter how much he might wish to aide his one time acquaintance he was just a padawan and at the moment there were no Jedi Masters or Knights available for such a mission. The growing threat of the Separatists had their Order stretched thin trying to keep the long-lived Republic in one piece. No sooner did some Masters or Knights return from a mission then they were given a new assignment and sent on their way. Besides that he felt that it would serve Xander better in the long term to keep any attachments he might have to a minimum. The High Council was already stretching the rules for him by allowing the synth droid to remain close to him so further bending of the rules had to be avoided.

With reluctant acceptance Xander nodded and left the room no doubt heading to his next class or perhaps to meditate to relieve himself of his unsettled feelings.

Hard it must be. Yoda thought as he opened a comm. Channel to Naboo, However if learn his lessons well a great Jedi he will be.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

_Late That Night, Jedi Temple Coruscant, Xander's Room_

_Think you can just tell me to buzz off you stunted little green Gnome!_ Xander thought angrily as he packed the things he thought he'd need into a sack, _HA! It'll take more than lecture to stop me from helping Sarahari!_

Realizing that he was probably broadcasting his anger to anyone within range he clamped down on his emotions and tried to return to the relative peace and calm most Jedi seemed to exude from day-to-day. Truthfully he knew he was being a little unfair and perhaps a little harsh regarding Master Yoda's decision but the way the little guy had talked about Sarahari as though the Jedi couldn't be bothered just made his blood boil. The Jedi were supposed to be like the knights of King Arthur's court or the Knights Templar or some noble organization like that. Sure their restrictions and rules were a bit suffocating at times but all in all he felt like he was really a part of something worthwhile. He just couldn't understand why Master Yoda wouldn't dispatch at least a knight to investigate matters and maybe rescue the kidnapped girls. Sure he knew there was a big problem on the horizon with the Separatists but there had to be at least one knight or maybe a Master he could accompany on the mission. Handing the matter over to the volunteer security forces on Naboo was just going to get more people hurt in the long run. Better to send a Jedi and a Learner like him to deal with the matter.

_Not overestimating yourself too much are you Xan-man?_ Asked a corner of his mind.

_Of course not! You heard Master Windu during my last lightsaber class._ He yelled mentally back at the dissenting voice in his head, _I'm learning much faster than most of the other padawans and I'm doing pretty good learning to use the Force in other ways too. _

_Doing good compared to other padawans is one thing. Surviving against people who want to kill you is another. _Stated the dissenting corner of his mind like it was talking to an idiot.

_Oh, shut **UP**!_ He thought back at the voice as he hefted the sack over his shoulder and quietly walked towards the door.

As the door slid open he poked his head out and looked up and down the hallway to see if there was anyone who might spot him. A corny move considering that by sticking his head out like this and looking up and down the halls he'd appear rather suspicious if anyone was out there. Fortunately it seemed that the Force was willing to let him have a little more rope before it tried to hang him since there was no one in the halls that he could see. With that first hurdle cleared he stealthily began to move towards the hanger where he intended to 'borrow' a ship so he could go to Ord Mantell himself. True he wasn't sure how far he'd get since he'd only done a couple of loops around Coruscant with Master Koon in a two man transport ship but he was sure he'd manage. After all ever since he'd found out about vampires and demons back in Sunnydale he'd been throwing himself into situations he was completely knowledgeable about. While he usually got a few bumps and bruises along the way he'd survived despite the danger or difficulties he'd faced so he was sure this wouldn't be too different.

In any case he'd already committed himself to this course of action. Earlier in the day he'd inquired with Erica about Ord Mantell under the guise of doing some research for his class on Jedi diplomacy. He now had in a single data chip everything the Jedi knew about the system and the main planet itself. When you added that to a few tricks Anakin had taught him about fooling sensors and bypassing the security lockouts on a spaceship's command functions and he knew he'd raised some red flags somewhere along the way. Either chance would have Erica bump into his diplomacy teacher or someone would notice some of the things he'd purloined from the maintenance utilities room. He would need tools if he planned on circumventing the security safeguards on both the hanger bay and the ship itself. SO all in all it was only a matter of time before someone came looking for him while the smarter ones figured out what he was up to and locked down all the ships.

_Lady Luck don't fail me now!_ He thought as he turned the corner and spotted the entrance to the hanger bay.

Unfortunately Lady Luck seemed to be a tad upset with him at the moment for taking her for granted for so long because standing right in front of the doors on guard was one of the Wookie members of the Order. He wasn't sure who it was but judging by the lack of the tell tale braid that signified a padawan that meant a Knight or a Master.

_Fuckin' great!_ He thought as he approached slow and steady while looking like he'd walk right on by the hanger bay.

That meant he had an unforeseen biological problem to overcome and considering it was a problem over seven feet tall and could tear him limb from limb it was a very big problem indeed. A mile a minute was how fast his mind was going trying to figure out how to get past a Wookie knight without seriously injuring the guy or gal or whatever. After all he didn't want to hurt the Order any or those who were a part of it. That was why he was going to arm himself with the blasters kept on every Jedi transport for security reasons. He knew that if he took a lightsaber with him, even a training one, it'd be as good as broadcasting that he was a Jedi to whoever had attacked Sarahari and kidnapped the others. That would lead to them upping their defenses and if he messed things up it'd embarrass not only him but the Order as well. It'd be like some air force cadet taking up an F-15 for a solo mission and then botching the mission completely. So he'd been sure to leave anything behind that could be directly linked to the Jedi Order and only had with him more common items that anyone could get a hold of. He'd also be ditching his Jedi cloths and putting on whatever spare clothes the pilots of the transport he'd be taking had stored onboard. It'd help him blend in better when he got to Ord Mantell since Jedi clothes were easy to recognize.

_Okay the way I see it I have two options: I can try to bluff my way past him saying I just want to drop some stuff off for an assignment I'm going on tomorrow or I can pull the old 'what is that!?' trick and hit him with the sack as hard as I can across the face. _He thought as the time for action quickly approached, _Decisions, decisions!_

However as he got within ten feet of the Wookie Knight he noticed something rather odd. Even though the furry mountain of muscle should have noticed him the moment he turned the corner the Jedi Knight hadn't moved a muscle. Even now when the Wookie should have been telling him to stop and asking what he was doing there not so much as a muscle twitched. It was only when he tried to get a good look at the native of Kasshyk's face that he noticed the familiar and steady rise and fall of the being's chest.

"He's asleep!?" Xander exclaimed in surprise before shutting up real quick so as not to change that fact.

_What could have happened to him?_ He thought to himself as he looked for signs of injury or maybe some kind of gas attack.

After a quick examination of the Wookie as well as brief nudge with the Force he was satisfied that the Knight was okay and wouldn't come to harm if he just left him. Patting the guy on the elbow (that being the only part he could reach) he went over to the access panel and opened up the doors to the hanger bay. However his unease at the unusual state of the guard came back at double the previous strength when he noticed that the ship he'd picked to take had its loading ramp open and the interior lights were on.

_Not good!_ He thought as he made his way to the ship while staying out of the field of vision of anyone who might be inside the ship, _Is the crew in there or is it the person who put the Wookie to sleep?_

Once at the loading ramp he listened carefully for any sounds that might indicate that someone was just inside the ship. Stretching out with the Force he tried to search where his big ears couldn't and was shocked when a very familiar presence was detected.

"What the FRILLY Hell is she doing here!?" Xander exclaimed no longer worried about being heard since the Force had just enlightened him to an even bigger problem.

Running up the ramp he wasted no time in getting to the bridge where he had sensed her presence and hoped that it was just his mind playing tricks on him because if she really was aboard he'd be in for a lot of pain in one form or another. Slamming his hand down on the button that opened the door to the bridge he saw that his worst fears were confirmed and considered for a moment just calling the whole thing off.

"Took you long enough Windu Junior!" Rreya said from the co-pilot's chair, "We were beginning to think you'd never get here. Forget to set your alarm or something?"

The Force hates me! He thought immediately before he realized the crimson skinned Twi'lek said 'we' rather than 'I'.

"We?" he asked in some confusion.

"Of course. Did you really think I'd let you go off to rescue Sarahari by yourself Xander?" came the voice of Erica from the pilot's seat.

"But how did--?" he started to ask before he was cut off by the blood red Twi'lek.

"'How did we know what you were up to?'? Well apparently your sex bot knows you pretty good, Xander, because the moment you started collecting info on Ord Mantell she knew something was up." Rreya replied as both she and Erica began to go through the pre-flight check list, "I overheard her prodding Master Galia about what she was teaching you about politics and diplomacy and knew something was up. So we got together and figured out that you planned on going to Ord Mantell without permission, so we decided to tag along."

"Well I can understand why Erica would want to come, but what're you doing here?" He asked as he mentally slapped himself upside the head for underestimating the synth droid, "You do realize that if you come along you'll get in just as much trouble as me and Erica when the high Council catches up with us, right?"

"Well Erica kinda spotted me following her so I sort of got convinced to come along to help out." Rreya replied honestly before getting a scheming look in her eyes, "Besides, this'll provide me with some serious blackmail opportunities for the future!"

"Figures!" Xander grumbled as he sat down beside the communications console and buckled himself in.

"All systems are in the green and ready to go Xander." Erica reported from the main pilot's seat, "Your orders, Mon Capitan?"

"Start her up and let's get moving before anyone else in the temple figures out what we're up to." Xander replied putting the thought of the red Twi'lek threats of blackmail aside for the moment, "I doubt that we've got much time to waste talking right now."

"Aye, Aye Captain." Erica replied as her hands began to fly over her console as she brought the ships systems online and opened the hanger bay doors by remote control.

As the hum of the engines powering up filled the air as well as the thrumming vibrations he could feel skirting up the chair from the floor he could sense that someone had noticed them. Who it was he wasn't sure but it made him wish for the synth droid to hurry up all the more because while he had confidence in her piloting skills he wasn't about to underestimate the Jedi Masters and Knights. They'd probably be able to override the hang bay doors or seize control of the ship itself somehow which meant the sooner they got into space and beyond the range of such things the better. As he watched the hanger bay doors open the gravity of what he was doing right then finally managed to claw its way to the forefront of his mind and he couldn't help but feel uncertain. Was he really doing the right thing? Should he simply have passed the info up the chain of command and let them handle rescuing Sarahari and the other girls? While it was true that he'd made a lot of progress since he first started his training he was still a Padawan Learner and as such was nowhere near as skilled as a knight. Was he really up to the job of taking on such a serious mission? As if to answer that images of the vision he'd had, of Sarahari's battered ship, floated across his mind's eye and the doubted he'd been experiencing vanished. Regardless of the fact that he was a Padawan Sarahari and the other freed girls were his responsibility as it had been him that had freed them. The Force had chosen him to receive the vision showing where the Catharian could be found!

_This is my task and my task alone!_ He thought with conviction as the transport exited the hanger bay and immediately began to climb ever higher into the atmosphere of Coruscant.

They hadn't been climbing for more than a minute before the communications console in front of him lit up like a Christmas tree with notification symbols popping up on the view screen telling him that he was being hailed by a number of angry people. One was from Coruscant spaceport control while another was from some angry freighter Captain that they'd almost hit on their way up. However the one that got the majority of his attention was the one labeled as coming from the Jedi Temple and he didn't need to be as wise as Master Yoda to know who'd be on the other end.

"Looks like we got a call from the Temple." He said to the others who were busy making sure they got into space, "Think I should answer it?"

"Talking could buy us a couple more minutes and we could use that time so the navi-computer can finish making the calculations for the jump to hyper-space so I say go for it." Erica replied as she maneuvered the ship around another cruiser that was crossing into their flight path, "Just keep it brief."

Nodding he pressed the button that would connect him to the Jedi Temple and was unsurprised but definitely worried when he saw Master Windu and Master Yoda glaring at him.

_Oh YEAH! I am so getting kicked out of the Order when we get back!_ He thought as he noticed a vein bulging out of Windu's forehead.

"Padawan! Turn that ship around now and return to the Temple immediately!" Windu ordered in a tone that told him the Jedi Master was not fooling around.

Summoning what courage and conviction he could he said "Sorry Master but there is a Naboo security force detachment and several innocent girls that need my help. I'll gladly take whatever punishment you deem necessary when I get back but I am going after them."

"Being reckless you are! Know the dangers of Ord Mantell you do not!" Yoda argued firmly trying to make his unofficial 'son' see reason.

"It's a tourist spot/arms supplier combo with a knack for attracting mercs and smugglers from all over who are looking for some big guns to buy." He replied summarizing the things he'd learned about his destination, "I'm not stupid enough to go into a situation like this unprepared Master Yoda and its not like I expect to just walk into a bar and demand Sarahari be returned. I've got it all worked out and with a little bit of luck we'll be back here on Coruscant inside of a week. Don't worry!"

He didn't even have to think to know they weren't reassured in the least by his claims of being prepared.

"Return to the Temple at once Xander and I will try to persuade the High Council to be lenient with your punishment." Windu declared sounding a little more reasonable but no less ordery, "This is your last chance."

"Sorry Master, but a guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do." He said with genuine regret that he had to go against his favorite Jedi Master's wishes.

"Then you leave me with no choice then to bring you back myself by taking control of your ship." Windu said with disappointment as there were signs that his hands were operating a console in front of him.

"Somehow I think you're going to have a liiittle trouble without this, Master Windu." Erica stated loudly enough to be heard by the Jedi Master before tossing something mechanical into Xander's lap, "The first thing I did when we got to the hanger bay was yank out the slave circuits in this baby as well as any secret tracking beacons. You guys really need better security on your ships!"

The looks of surprise on both the faces of Master Windu and Master Yoda were priceless, making the undoubtedly severe punishment he'd be getting after this adventure almost worth it. However the looks of displeasure that manifested on the High Council members' faces quickly wiped out whatever amusement he might have been feeling. Deciding he didn't want to think about what kinds of punishment they were thinking about right then he decided that the out of sight and out of mind technique was needed immediately.

"Ooohh Man! Master Windu! Master Yoda! I-I think that Erica must have ripped some of the communications system wires by mistake!" He said trying to sound concerned as he began to fiddle with the controls of the communications console to make the connection destablize, "I'm starting to lose you Masters! Can you boost the gain on your end? I'm losing you!"

Then with a flick of a switch he broke the connection and the image of two seriously upset Jedi Masters winked out to be replaced with general communications information and notifications that several more people wanted to talk to him. Looking over to Erica and Rreya he saw that they had finally managed to make it into space and he hoped that that meant they were also ready to make the jump into hyper-space.

"Erica?" He asked knowing that the H.R.D would know what he was asking about.

"Course laid in and the navi-computer reports the calculations for the trip to Ord Mantell have been completed." Erica reported with full professionalism.

"Punch it!" He ordered and with the pulling back of a lever the stars visible through the cockpit window stretched into lines before, with a flash of light, he found himself looking down a light blue corridor of energy known as hyper-space.

_No turning back now._ He thought with resolve in his mind, _Hang on Sarahari! I'm coming!_

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&


	8. Making a Good First Impression

_**Aboard What was Once a Republic Cruiser, Entering the Ord Mantell System, **_

Three Days Later 

"We've come out of hyperspace and are not entering the Ord Mantell system." Rreya stated as she finished disengaging the hyper-drive and turning things over to the sub-light systems.

"Good. We wasted enough time with preparations already," came a harsh voice through a speaker even though the person talking was right behind her.

"Look, Xander, I know it took a little longer than we thought to disguise the ship, but you know it was necessary." Rreya said as she turned to look at the man standing in the doorway of the cockpit, "Republic cruisers are too easy to identify and we'd never learn what we needed to learn if we just flew in there right away."

"I know, but it doesn't mean that I have to like it," the man said with a slight growl before turning and heading back into the main area of the ship.

He didn't mean to be so grouchy to Rreya, but it had taken time and no little bit of persuasion to get some off the beaten path ship dock to do a rush job repainting and modifying the Republic cruiser to look different. However, as Rreya had said, it was necessary due to the fact that he wanted to get onto Ord Mantell without letting the pirates that he was looking for know he'd arrived. All said and done it had only taken a half a day to repaint the ship a pale bone white but it had taken until just twelve hours ago to modify the configuration of the cruiser to something decidedly not of the Republic. The raised cockpit was removed and a more streamlined one was put in its place that would give the front of the ship a more pointy appearance. A combination of turbo lasers and ion batteries had been installed at strategic spots on the underside of the ship with a high-powered proton cannon placed at the front. That was all he'd been willing to wait for and, after paying the engineers and weapons dealers using goods aboard the cruiser, they had set off immediately for Ord Mantell. On the way there Erica had asked what the ship should be called so she could reconfigure the I.D beacon to further mask their identities. He'd thought about it awhile, ignoring any suggestions Rreya contributed, but eventually he landed on one that would best fit his new personae.

The ship would be called the Shinigami.

It was a mysterious name and one that was unique as far as ship names went, since no other ship in the Republic had a name even remotely similar. That was good as far as he was concerned, since it would assure that problems both before and after this mission would be kept to a minimum. After all he didn't want to be mistaken for someone else on the way in or be hunted down by someone who also had a ship named the Shinigami. Add to that the fact that no one without a protocol droid would be able to figure out that shinigami translated into Basic meant 'Death God', not to mention that the lack of facts and a background check would produce on him would give him some leeway to work with. After all, if no one on Ord Mantell knew who he was or where he was from, they could be told just about anything. He had already worked out most of the details of the identity he would be assuming once they made it planet side and it all centered on the rather unique contents of one of the onboard crew lockers. He had originally gone through them after leaving Coruscant to try and cobble together a workable disguise but he'd gone in believing he'd have to settle for some sort of pilot helmet or something along with a standard blaster pistol. What he found instead was both more than he could have hoped for but at the same time something that came with a certain 'complication'.

Still, who would have thought that he'd come across a nearly complete collection of Mandalorian armor with only a few minor pieces keeping it from becoming complete?

He'd immediately taken it to Erica so she could give it the once over in order to determine whether it was genuine and functional Mandalorian armor or just some cheap knock off. The H.R.D had gone over it with a fine tooth comb and while she couldn't say with one hundred percent certainty that the gear once belonged to a Mandalorian, she did confirm that the stuff was in complete working order. With that decided, he'd changed out of his Jedi clothes and into the Mandalorian armor, spending only a few minutes in front of a mirror to give it some cosmetic touch ups. A little bit of authentic looking carbon scarring here and a few dents there would add to the authenticity of his disguise, making it look like it had actually been used rather than look like a display piece. As far as armaments went, it had extendable blades in both arm braces as well as a few dart launchers loaded with projectiles containing strong sedatives as well as one or two with toxic substances in them. The arm braces also had an electro-magnetic grapple launcher in them that he was certain would prove useful down the line. Add to that two blaster pistols and an E-33 blaster rifle and he would say that he was fairly well armed, all things considered. Add in a pair of boots, a hooded cloak and a holo-disc with the stored faces of not only the missing former slave girls, but also pictures he'd drawn of the pirate ships and he was ready. The weapons selection, though, caused a bit of confusion with Rreya, who didn't see why he didn't just take one of the training lightsabers with him, as well. Erica had even volunteered to see if she could upgrade a training saber to a fully functional combat saber like the ones used by knights or masters. His reason had simply been that he would not allow any evidence to link them to the Jedi Order to leave the ship unless absolutely necessary. He wasn't under any delusions that this mission could not go FUBAR on him if Lady Luck decided to turn against them, so he wanted to make sure he was prepared for the worst case scenario.

For Erica it was a little plainer with her wearing black bands and boots, a white tank top and a pilot's jacket that she'd keep zipped three quarters of the way up at all times. She'd have a standard blaster at her side that would be plain for all to see, but other than that no one would suspect that she was the deadlier of the two of them. That, of course, was exactly the way he wanted it, since it would make her all the more effective should things take a turn for the messy. All over her person she had hidden weapons that her programming would allow her to use to great effectiveness, as well as components for a second blaster that she could assemble in fifteen seconds if necessary. She was going to be his trump card in case things went straight to hell somewhere along the way, since unless they passed through a top of the line sensor net, no one would know her true nature. All they would see was a beautiful woman only lightly armed for combat and more at home with a computer than a blaster.

The scheme he'd come up with was that they'd land on Ord Mantell and as soon as night fell, they'd pay a visit to one of the local dives where the criminals and mercs hung out. It'd be there that they'd make their presence known as well as what they were after in the hopes that either someone would know who owned the ships that attacked Sarahari's Naboo cruiser or who might know the whereabouts of the kidnapped former slave girls. They'd try the 'polite' methods of persuasion first in the hopes that they wouldn't cause complications, but they'd be prepared to make an **impression** if they had to. One thing that would be certain was that by the time they left, everyone would likely know that a man by the name of Slade Ordo and his associate Barda were looking for some people they'd been hired to recover. It would also be known that the two of them were professionals and not to be taken lightly by anyone.

_At least that's what I hope they'll think after our big debut. _He thought as he entered the main cabin to find Erica working on something.

"What're you up to, 'Barda'?" He asked, deciding that he should get used to calling her by her alias for this mission.

In a blur of motion whatever she had been working on vanished and while he had a general idea of where she had chosen to hide it, he had no idea of what she had hidden. This got a raised eyebrow out of him, since he had never seen this sort of behavior in Erica before, but in the end he decided to put it on the back burner for the time being. He trusted Erica without question and knew she'd never do anything bad unless she perceived it to be in his best interests. Even then, it would be a near thing and given how potent her mind was, her choices were usually the right ones.

"Nothing, 'Slade'. I take it that we've come out of hyperspace?" She asked, sounding perfectly nonchalant and professional.

"Yes. Let's go over our new **identities** so we don't screw up when we're down on the planet with witnesses around." He said professionally as he tried to imitate what he thought a top of the line soldier for hire would behave like, "I am Slade Ordo. I am a soldier for hire that chooses his clients rather than letting the clients choose him. I am a professional and will not lower myself to practices used by the less disciplined in my line of work. I keep personal facts about myself to myself and ignore questions of that nature entirely. I have come to Ord Mantell in search of twelve former slave girls once belonging to Prince Xizor of the Falleen as well as the crew of a Naboo cruiser that was attacked coming into the system within the last week. My employer wishes to remain anonymous but is willing to reward anyone willing to assist me."

"I am Barda Vao. I am the partner and tech expert for the soldier for hire Slade Ordo. It is my job to provide him with the information he needs in order to succeed in his assignment. I am fluent in many forms of communication, both spoken and technological, with an aptitude for slicing encrypting files." 'Barda' stated as though giving a report, "I know the basics of how to fire a blaster both a pistol and a rifle but have never actually seen combat as I prefer to be the brains while you act as the brawn."

"Where'd you come up with that last bit? That wasn't the story you came up with yesterday." He said, having a sinking feeling he already knew the answer to his question.

"Rreya suggested it to me and it's perfectly possible with the original idea I came up with." Barda replied honestly as the sounds of atmospheric entry became audible.

"Figures." He grumbled as once again the crimson Twi'lek found a way to get her shot in even when not in the room.

"So what are your plans for us once we land?" Barda asked, standing up and moving to gather the gear she'd need.

"Once we touch down, we find ourselves the most defensible hotel in the capitol city we can find but also one with a few escape routes as well. After all, it would be all too like a professional soldier to choose his lodgings for their strategic value rather than for any luxuries they might offer." He replied as he went to a cabinet to get the pouch of credits they'd managed to either find, trade for or 'borrow' on their way here, "Once night falls, we find a local dive where the crooks and the mercs hang out and begin asking questions both about the girls kidnapped from Naboo and about Sarahari's ship. We make it sound like we were hired to find and capture them for someone but we won't say anything concrete as to who our employer is. Let them think what they want to based on that since it'll probably be to our benefit."

"And if it doesn't?" Barda asked, curious to see if her 'partner' had planned for that possibility.

"Then we do what we can to correct their perceptions of us." He replied firmly making it clear that force would likely be the tool of choice to do that.

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Ord Mantell, Wolport, Sundown 

"I don't think that Rreya was too pleased about being left behind, Slade." 'Barda' stated as they made their way through the busy streets of Wolport.

"I don't know any **Rreya,** Barda, but if you mean **Jubilee,** then I agree that she was not happy with my instructions." 'Slade' reminded her without looking at her from beneath the hood concealing his Mandalorian helmet, "It was necessary, though, as I doubt she would have enjoyed my terms for coming with us. After all, there are only so many ways a female Twi'lek can be allowed to leave her cage."

"Understood, Slade." She stated, understanding the meaning beneath her Master's words.

While she knew that the logic of it all would be small comfort to Padawan Rreya, she agreed with her Master's reasons for ordering the Twi'lek to stay with the ship. Despite a few shining examples, most female Twi'leks in the Republic were seen as property and therefore it was expected for them to either be in restraints or so broken mentally that the very idea of defying their owners terrified them. Those few Twi'lek that weren't property were either Jedi or criminals with their numbers so few in both places that they were easily recognizable. Therefore it would have been a tad suspicious to have Rreya come along, as she didn't look the part of a mercenary nor was it likely that she'd be able to pull off the role of a slave very well. Besides which, the idea of a soldier for hire dragging his slave around wherever he went would be of the bad for certain and would only send out the wrong impression to those who saw them. Besides, if things went to hell as her Master feared it might, they would need to get off planet **FAST,** which would be expedited by having someone already in the ship to have it pre-flighted by the time they got there. That line of thinking was the only thing that got Rreya to give in and stay in the modified ship.

_However I have my doubts as to how long she will be content to obey Master's orders before doing something rash._ She thought as they approached their destination, _Her behavioral patterns show her to be someone easily bored and while her Jedi training might aid in keeping her from abandoning her post too quickly, it is still a possibility._

Still, if they were swift enough in locating the kidnapped girls as well as Sarahari and her crew, then it should not be a concern to worry about. That was why they were going to the bar they were approaching at the moment, The Blind Nightsider, since it had a reputation both on Ord Mantell and off as a gathering place for the lawless and evil. If anyplace existed that could provide the information they were looking for it would be there. The difficulty would be in getting the patrons of the place as well as, perhaps, the owner to co-operate with them as far as answering questions was concerned. After all, there were two things that these kind of people always responded to: fear and profit. Unfortunately they didn't have a whole lot of currency to spend and even with the few tricks they'd come up with, things would dry up quick if they weren't careful. As for the other, they would have to create some fear as they went since they'd be virtual unknowns as far as the mercenaries and criminals were concerned. If they had time to build reputations, they might be able to **persuade** anyone they talked to in the bar to be compliant but as it was they did not.

_We can only hope to imply that it would be dangerous to withhold information from us._ She thought as they passed through the door to the bar and went inside, _Hopefully that will be enough to get us what we want._

As the sights, sounds and smells of The Blind Nightsider rolled over her, she found that data files and vid-clips did not even come close to informing her on what to expect from such an establishment. While not disgusting enough to violate the minimum health and safety code requirements, it was seriously offensive to be exposed to, especially for someone with enhanced senses such as herself. True, her senses were a little more artificial in their perception of things, but she still knew a foul smell when she smelt it and a disgusting sight when she saw it. However she did her best to keep the full extent of her revulsion from her face and instead only let a little bit show to help ensure that the patrons saw her as Xander wanted. Without any pause in their step, they approached the main bar, where a greasy-haired Bothan was serving drinks as well as keeping an eye on those partaking of the stimulant tank. A smart move, since it was child's play to override the devices that would limit the amount dispensed according to the credits used as payment. It took the bartender only a minute or two to spot her and Xander approaching the bar and, based on his body language and her files it, was likely that he'd be pretty tight lipped to start out but would loosen up perhaps once he got to know them.

"What can I get for you?" The Bothan asked before placing two barely clean glasses on the bar.

"Information." Was the only reply 'Slade' gave and, from a certain point of view, he really didn't need to say anything else.

"What kind of information?" The Bartender asked with a bit of wariness.

"Two weeks ago there was an attack on Naboo. One group kept the security forces busy while another kidnapped a number of former slave girls that once belonged to Xizor." Xander replied, keeping his voice emotionless yet infused with essence of a predator, "I've been hired to 'acquire' them as well as the crew of the Naboo cruiser that would have been attacked about nine days or so ago as they entered the system. Know anything useful?"

"Maybe." The Bartender replied, obviously requiring more information before he'd decide which way he'd go, "Who hired you?"

"Knowing the name of my employer is not required for you to answer my question, Bothan." Slade said in a tone meant to discourage further pursuit of this line of questioning, "Believe me when I say it would be better for your health **not** to know the name."

"Then I got nothing for you! Now either order something or get out of my bar." The Bartender snapped before beginning to turn away to attend to another customer.

Without saying anything further Xander raised one of his arms and shot a dart from his left arm brace that hit the Bartender and injected him with a yellowish substance. Naturally this garnered a little bit of attention from those who saw it happen and the complete attention of the bartender who looked half angry as well as half afraid.

"You've just been injected with a rather unique form of venom from an insect found on Tatooine. You should be feeling the effects any moment now." Xander said without any compassion or mercy in his voice, "I'm told those that are injected with it suffer greatly over the course of twelve hours before their internal organs turn to Bantha poodoo. There is an antidote of course, but at the moment I don't feel inspired to let you know what it is."

"You motherless sonuva--!" The Bartender exclaimed before attempting to rush towards something hidden under the bar.

'Attempted' being the operative word since after the third step the Bothan stumbled to the ground and seemed unable to get to his feet. It was obvious as the signs of fear grew in the Bartender's body language that he was making desperate attempts to make his legs obey his commands but was having no luck at all aside from the odd twitch.

"Paralysis is only the first of four stages most victims of the poison are subjected to before finally dying. Trust me when I say it gets worse from here on out." Slade stated in a tone that implied he would let the man die unless he got the information he desired, "Feel like answering a few questions now?"

"Y-yes! Anything you want! Just tell me what the antidote is!" The Bartender replied frantically as the gravity of his situation set in.

"I will inform you of the antidote **after** you have given me the information I require and I am satisfied that you are telling the truth." Xander stated coldly and firmly without any intention of being persuaded to do otherwise.

Slade then took a holo-disc from his belt and placed it on the bar before activating it. In a surge of blue light holographic images began to appear. Images of the kidnapped former slave girls, of Sarahari and her crew and drawings of the ships he claimed to have seen in his vision back at the temple. One by one they went by until twenty pictures later the series began anew.

"Where are they and who has them?" Xander asked, deciding to be blunt and to the point.

"I-I don't know exactly. I only hear what comes through here. I swear!" The Bothan replied as he desperately tried to avoid saying or doing anything to lessen his chances of survival, "I don't know about the gold ships but the modified freighter looks like it belongs to Davros' gang! They're a part of the second largest arms cartel on all of Ord Mantell!"

"Where can I find this Davros?" 'Slade' asked, as if he couldn't see the rising pain or misery on the Bothan's face.

"I hear he hangs out at the Fifteen Moons Casino! It's where his boss does most of his business! You can find him there!" The Bothan Bartender replied promptly.

_That makes sense, especially since no one would think twice about a number of beautiful girls just showed up one day_. She thought as she recalled everything she knew about the establishment, _However it will make getting to this Davros harder, since they're pretty sharp about not letting weapons past the door._

"And the girls? The Naboo security force on that cruiser?" Xander inquired, wanting to make sure the Bartender didn't leave anything out.

"I only know what everyone else has heard over the media channels and bits I've overheard from some of the people who work at spaceport control!" The Bothan replied fearfully at his less than helpful answer, "I swear! If I knew where they were I'd tell you! Please! I can barely move my arms!"

As seconds passed without either a reply or movement from Xander she began to worry that he might not give the antidote to the Bothan. However such an act completely went against what she knew of her Master, as well as the teachings of the Jedi Order. She refused to believe that he would just stand by and watch a being that had done him no wrong die so horribly. Yet more seconds ticked by and she began to wonder if the danger the former slave girls and Sarahari were currently in was somehow affecting his judgment.

"Swallow one of these capsules every four hours for the next twelve and you will live. It will not be a painless recovery, so you may wish to have an employee fill in for you behind the bar." Xander stated as he placed four capsules on the bar.

Without another word, 'Slade' left the bar with her following close behind while casting covert glances behind her just in case someone from the bar had chosen to follow them. However after no less than thirty different turns and half as many times backtracking, she was confident that they had either lost their pursuers or there had been none to begin with. With that settled, she decided she would inquire as to the reasons for Xander's choice of tactics back at the bar as well as what they were going to do next.

"Sorry if I worried you. The act had to be believable or else he never would have given us what we need. It would have also ruined the impression we made on the other bar patrons." He replied after she asked her question, "As for what we'll do next I'd say it's pretty obvious. We return to our room and prepare to receive guests."

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The Gunray Hotel, Two Hours Later 

"Alright. The boss wants him alive but his female is expendable." Tengar stated gruffly at the group of ten armed men that he had been ordered to lead, "Remember what happened to the last person who couldn't keep his orders straight in his head."

All of the armed men shuddered at that memory and each personally made a promise to themselves that they would **not** act beyond the exact wording of the orders they'd been given. He certainly would never forget it, but at least he had the professional poise not to let his fear show on the outside like the rest of these wamprats. Unlike them, he was a professional, a warrior for hire, and he knew that unless the universe itself conspired against him, he'd never have to worry about angering Davros. With a hand gesture, the mission began with an advance team of four men sent up the lift to the floor their source had said their target's room was on. Two would go up the eastern stairwell while another two would go up the western stairwell, leaving the last thug with him in the lobby just in case the first nine botched the job somehow. Although he'd never say it out loud, he was almost hoping that this Slade Ordo, a name they got from the hotel's registry, really did turn out to be a Mandalorian. While working for Davros might pay well, there was just no challenge in tracking down deadbeats that owed money or flunkies caught skimming the credits. No, he wanted an opponent he could actually make a name off of capturing or killing. Perhaps this guy could be the one.

Over the course of the next twenty minutes he heard barely anything from the floor where the target was said to be located. Oh there were a few blaster shots set on stun and one or two cries of pain, but otherwise it was complete and utter silence. When the time came, since the beginning of the mission reached twenty-two minutes, he began to wonder if the fools he'd sent up there were dead or were just too incompetent to take down two people. Finally, when he had had enough of the lack of information, he ordered the man he'd kept with him to head up to the floor in question to find out what the hell was going on. The man looked like he would refuse until the barrel of a FC-1 flechette launcher was aimed at him and the safety disengaged. Given the choice between a possible death on the floor in question and a certain one down there with his 'leader', it was no surprise when the thug chose the one with the highest chance for survival. With the pressing of a button and two swishes of the lift doors, the last remaining man he'd been saddled with went up to either find out what was going on or to die like all the others. Personally, he didn't care which since either would provide him with a useful piece of information.

After ten minutes of no transmissions from the thug he'd sent up or the fool actually managing to return alive, he began to get a bit restless. It had only been half an hour since they'd entered the building and started the operation and already it looked like he was the only one left standing. If that indeed turned out to be the case then this Slade guy could very well be as good as the Mandalorian his reputation suggested he was and maybe a bit more. He was in the process of reaching down to unhook his com-link from his belt when he felt the cold familiar feeling of an EE-3 carbine blaster rifle pressed against his back.

"Hands up where I can see them." Was all the cold speaker-filtered voice said but the honest intent was there so he did as instructed.

"Turn around. **Slowly**." Instructed the unknown person.

Again, as he was not in a position to do otherwise, he did as instructed and came face to face with the very person he'd been hired to capture. It only took one look to confirm the authenticity of the Mandalorian armor, since he had had a few run ins with Jango Fett and Montross over the years. He could also tell that the man beneath the armor was not the amateur one would assume a mercenary with no past would be. This earned Slade a few points in his book because any mercenary who could stay under the radar of both the authorities and his own kind had to be good.

He had to be very good indeed.

"Who sent you?" Slade asked, obviously one of those types that didn't believe in filling the silence with meaningless chatter.

_Time to see if this guy knows the __**right way**__ to interrogate a fellow mercenary,_ he thought to himself, eager to learn more about his opponent.

"Sorry, but it wouldn't be healthy to just give out the name of my employer." He replied, making it clear it would take quite a bit to loosen his lips.

In a move that was faster than a Twi'lek female, the Mandalorian fired off a shot from his rifle that grazed his side before moving back to its original covering position.

"It **will** be **fatal** if you don't." Ordo stated with no change in his voice to indicate whether or not he was angry at the defiant reply.

"Not bad. I can see you're no amateur, but then again neither **am I!**" He yelled before he kicked the rifle's barrel up just enough for the first salvo of **lethal** blaster bolts to sail past his head.

Charging the man head-on, he first made sure to keep the EE-3 pointed **away** from his body while at the same time keeping a firm grip on Ordo's other hand to keep it from the blaster pistol the man kept at his hip. They struggled back and forth with one trying to free himself while the other delivered the occasional knee to the side or gut of his enemy. He could tell inside of the first thirty seconds that while not a weakling, Ordo wasn't a powerhouse mountain of muscle but was slim toned fighter instead. He was also a decent close quarters fighter since Slade managed to block a few of his knee thrusts with his own knee every so often.

Another point in the man's favor.

The tide turned against him, though, when Ordo delivered a headbutt that dazed him for a few moments, but that was all that was needed for the man in the Mandalorian armor to build on his opportunity. A solid thrust kick forward sent him back on his ass and a good four feet away, leaving Slade with a window of opportunity. An opportunity he had no intention of letting the supposed soldier for hire to take advantage of and, with a jerk of his wrist, his two shot D-12 blaster popped out of his sleeve and into his right hand. Without hesitation he aimed it at Slade, who was just about to reach his EE-3, and fired both shots at the man's legs since, unlike some fools, he hadn't forgotten the orders of Davros. However in a move of unanticipated agility, Slade managed to leap over the blasts before they could hit and reach his E-33. How had he done that? Was he some kind of exiled Jedi or perhaps he had somehow seen the shots coming in time? It was possible, he supposed, that he could have seen the shots coming since it was impossible to tell what direction Ordo's eyes were looking in at the time of the shot. Scrambling to his feet, he picked up his FC-1 flechette launcher and ducked around one of the support pillars of the hotel to use as cover. Setting the weapon for semi-automatic fire, he prepared himself for a good old fashioned shoot out between two professionals. Peeking around the corner he could see no sign of Slade and that probably meant that the guy had gone for cover as well.

"Not bad Ordo! I can't tell you how good it is to actually be fighting someone worth my time!" He said, trying to draw the Mandalorian into a conversation in order to get an idea of where Slade was, "Working for Davros might pay well but it's been ages since I last fought someone who could actually fight back on equal ground with me!"

Stroking the ego of an enemy was also a reason for engaging in conversation, since an arrogant enemy was a sloppy enemy and that would tip the battle a little bit more in his favor. He waited for a few moments, hoping for a response, but when he heard nothing one way or another, he began to worry that his tactic wasn't working. Still, he would try at least one more time before giving up entirely and moving onto something a little more direct.

"Don't suppose you'd mind telling me how you took care of the men I sent up to meet you? Or were you even there to begin with?" He asked, just then recalling that there was another person up in the room with Ordo.

_Nah! I saw the video footage from the bar and heard the reports of the 'ears' we put there to keep tabs on things._ He thought to himself as he waited to see if Slade would hold up his end of the **conversation**, _She's just his pet slicer and information gatherer. No way could she take down ten men all by herself! Not without making a lot of noise in the process._

When no sound at all came in reply to his latest effort to draw the Mandalorian into a conversation, he decided a more direct approach was called for to draw his adversary out into the open. Pulling out three micro-detonators, he armed the three second fuses and then tossed them across the lobby to where he figured Ordo had to be. With a thunderous explosion enough to cause the support he was leaned up against to vibrate for a moment. Darting out from behind his cover, he immediately began looking about the immediate area for any sign of Slade in all the conceivable directions. The fact that he saw nothing immediately was not necessarily a bad thing because it could mean that the Mandalorian was just unconscious behind one of the pillars or lying beneath some of the debris the micro-detonators kicked about. Moving slowly across the floor of the lobby, every sense on edge, he headed towards the pillars opposite the ones he'd been using for cover. Just as he almost reached the pillar, the sound of two blaster shots and searing pain in his arms caused him to drop his weapon out of reflex. Turning around, he saw something that made him curse himself for underestimating Slade and promising to himself that if he lived through this, he would never again permit himself to get caught unawares like this again. Lowering to the ground via a grapple line coming from his left arm brace was Ordo with his E-33 blaster rifle no doubt aimed at a vital area.

"Before you consider causing more trouble, look up and to the right." Ordo said, pointing in that direction only slightly with his rifle before returning it to its previous position.

Carefully turning his head to look in the direction indicated, he saw something that pretty much confirmed that this little confrontation was over. Standing on the next level with a blaster in her hand was the woman, Ordo's partner, he'd dismissed as being a desk or computer jockey. However, now that he got a good look at her, he could tell instantly from the way she held the blaster and the serious look on her face that if he tried anything at this point, he'd be dead before he moved five inches. He'd seriously miscalculated with her and it had cost him. Nothing more to do now than see what Ordo's next move would be and hope that he could turn it to his advantage.

"Where's Davros?" Ordo asked, keeping things quick and to the point.

"Right behind you, Slade Ordo." Came a new voice with both him and the man in the Mandalorian armor looking in its direction.

Walking into the hotel with his two bodyguards was none other than Davros himself and the look on his face made it clear that the man had bet on things happening this way. This irked him a bit, since he didn't like not being in on the entire charade but then he didn't really expect to be told everything with the people he usually dealt with. Still, it was a sign that Davros didn't consider him important enough to be told everything and possibly not important enough to spend resources protecting either.

_I'll have to do something to change that._ He thought to himself as Davros came to a stop a few feet away.

"Why don't you ask your lady friend to come down and join us so we can have a nice, professional conversation?" Davros asked with all the appearances of a businessman, "After all, we're all professionals here aren't we? I am sure we can reach an amicable arrangement that we can both walk away happy with."

For a moment it looked like Ordo would refuse to call his partner down, a smart move since it kept the tactical advantage in his hands, but then the man did something that took back the points of respect he'd given the soldier for hire earlier. He put his rifle into its holster beneath his cloak and made a gesture to his partner to come down from her perch. Either the guy had another trump card that still kept him in the superior bargaining position or everything the man had done before was just dumb luck. Personally he hoped it was the former because if it turned out to be the latter, it would seriously bruise his ego that he got taken down by an idiot.

"Tengar. You can head on over to the local clinic and get those wounds treated. Just drop my name and they'll patch you up free of charge." Davros said like he was dismissing some marginally useful underling, "Mr. Ordo and I have some business to discuss."

_Definitely have to do something to change his image of me or I might just have to seek out alternative employment sooner rather than later. _He thought to himself as he painfully picked up his weapon and walked to the entrance of the hotel.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The Gunray Hotel, After Tengar Had Left 

_Note to self: next time I stun the guy, tie him up and __**THEN**__ start asking the questions!_ Xander thought to himself as he heard more than saw the doors to the hotel close, _Still, the plan went off without a hitch and if I'm right, I look decidedly more skilled than I did before as far as Davros is concerned._

It had been a plan that he and Erica had come up with not long after they'd gotten to the hotel and, for the most part, it had only been the details than had needed ironing out. He had known from the moment that they'd left the bar that some sort of 'welcoming committee' would be sent to deal with a pair of unknowns making waves. After all, it wasn't good business for anyone to have some mystery variables appear on the scene since it made things unpredictably and unpredictability was never good for business. He hadn't thought that it'd be Davros' people who'd show up, he had thought he'd need to build up a reputation first, but when Tengar had dropped the name things changed. Things had gone from just making a rep by taking down eleven people quickly and silently to passing what was likely a test. It was a common practice among less honorable businessmen to try and turn a potential problem into a profitable solution. Judging from how Davros was acting, it was a pretty safe bet that he'd passed the test and was now moving onto the interview before being offered a job. Naturally he'd turn down the job, of course, but the reason he'd give was that he never worked for two people at the same time and wouldn't be able to take any job until his current one was completed. Hopefully that would sound suitable for his 'soldier for hire' rep and Davros wouldn't pursue the matter any further.

"I was very impressed by how you managed to deal with this little 'welcoming party' I sent. It was done quickly, efficiently and without making any unnecessary noise at all." Davros said, fully slipping into the role of admiring businessman, "You'd be surprised how hard it is to find someone who can accomplish an assignment like that. I especially like the part where you took out the surveillance team I had watching your room without being spotted. I'd love to know how you did it."

_Surveillance team?! What surveillance team?! _He thought to himself in the second he had before Davros would likely expect a response, _There was no one watching the window of the hotel room!_

It had been one of the things that both he and Erica had been a bit puzzled over when they'd been thinking up the right way to deal with the 'welcoming committee' they knew was on its way. Both he and Erica had used what abilities they had at their disposal to look for anybody keeping an eye on the hotel about five minutes before Tengar had shown up and had sensed nothing. They'd debated for a minute as to the significance of this but in the end had decided to go ahead with their plan despite this troubling anomaly. To find out now that there had been a team keeping tabs on them but that it had been taking out moments before him and the HRD had tried to look for them only heightened his worry. If neither he nor Erica had dealt with them then it had to be someone else. But who would be willing to go out of their way to lend a hand to a bunch of strangers? He didn't like it but without more information, he had no way of figuring out the puzzle. Therefore he'd play the cryptic card with Davros and hope this satisfied the crook's curiosity.

"Trade secret." He stated firmly with the hope that the message 'I am not going to tell you' would get across without offending the guy.

"I understand." Davros said with a shrug of acceptance, "Information is power. I know this better than most. I also know that none of the men sent up to get you are dead. Why is that? Most people in your line of work don't particularly care about preserving the lives of people out to kill them."

"I wasn't hired to kill them." He replied as though that explained it all and, from a certain point of view, it was all that needed to be said.

The real truth of the matter was that he knew how dangerously close to the Dark Side of the Force it would take him to kill that many people when he didn't have to. Well **THAT** and the fact that despite his lengthy career of demon hunting back in Sunnydale, he had never once killed a souled being. Regardless of the fact that some of the men that Tengar had sent up had been ugly enough to be demons, he had known from the start that they were just as non-demonic as he was where it counted. So, using a combination of stun blasts from his blaster pistol and some close quarter combat moves he still remembered from his Halloween soldier possession, he'd managed to take down the majority of them without Erica having to lift a finger. It had only been at the end when he'd moved into phase two of their plan that she'd gotten to take out the final thug since he was busy scrambling down the side of the building so he could get up behind Tengar.

"Very professional of you. A sight better than most mercenaries who're little more than killing machines with the IQ of a rotted melon. While some might find such help adequate, I prefer the people under me to have at least some intelligence, but not **too** much if you know what I mean." Davros said with an approving nod, "Now, how about we get down to business. According to my sources at the Blind Nightsider, you're looking for a group of former slave girls that you believe I had a hand in abducting from Naboo. Is that correct?"

His response was simply to activate the holo-disc showing artificially created but still completely realistic looking recreation of his vision involving the attack on Sarahari's ship.

"Interesting footage and I'll admit that some of my men did shoot down a Naboo cruiser entering the system a week or so ago, but I fail to see how that connects me to the missing ex-slave girls." Davros said sounding completely honest with every word that he spoke.

"I'm not a big fan of coincidences. Where are they?" He asked, deciding to be direct rather than engage in any verbal sparring with the man.

"Well let's say, just for the sake of argument, that I do have these once and possibly future slave girls in my care. Who is it that has hired you to retrieve them?" Davros asked, never once giving anything positive or negative away with his body language.

"My employer values his privacy." He replied coldly while keeping an eye on the bodyguards just in case Davros signaled them to take a page from his book, "I would have thought you knew that."

"True but it will be a bit difficult to strike a deal with you if I don't know what assets you bring to the bargaining table." Davros said, looking a little disappointed before he shrugged it off, "What exactly are you prepared to offer in exchange for the ex-slave girls?"

"Barda." He said and held out a hand into which Erica placed a financial data pad used for financial transactions by the wealthy.

Activating the pad, he typed in the number, username and password to an account in the Galactic Republic equivalent of a Swiss bank account and then typed in the amount of one hundred and twenty-five thousand credits. It was only a starting bid and he fully expected it to have to go up before Davros might budge, but that was all a part of the charade. He couldn't make his opening bid too high or it'd indicate that he had a lot of moolah to throw around, which could make the man greedy. On the opposite end of the equation, it had to be more than Davros could possibly make on them on the slave market outside of Republic territory. Profit and power after all were what made the galaxy go 'round for these people so most of them would err on the side of currency more often than not. Of course there was no actual money or account to be had, so he didn't have to worry about being convicted of theft when this was all over. It was all smoke and mirrors courtesy of the expert hacking skills of Erica and the lacking security at the Galactic Swiss Bank. On their way to Ord Mantell, he'd had her hack into a suitable bank and create a back door for them so that they could fool whoever they had to deal with, just in case that person wanted to check to see if the money was legit.

_Of course she couldn't do anything too fancy and in twelve hours when the bi-weekly maintenance is done on their computer system, the trick will be exposed but hopefully by then this'll all be over with. _He thought to himself as he handed over the financial data pad to Davros.

"I believe that that is a fair sum for the merchandise I'm here for." He said before waiting to see if things went the easy route for once in his life.

"True. This is a good thirty thousand credits more than I'd probably get for them on the open slave market even if I used my connections with the Hutts." Davros said nodding in agreement as he handed the data pad to one of his bodyguards, "Of course I'll have to verify that this sum is actually available. It's just good business you understand."

"Of course." He said trusting Erica's skills to be superior to just about anyone else's in the galaxy.

It took a few minutes, enough that he was beginning to worry that Erica might have missed something big, but eventually the bodyguard handed the pad back to Davros with a nod.

"Looks like your offer is legit." Davros said as he brought out his own financial data pad and linked it to the one holding the money.

However, once the link was established, the money vanished and the pad reverted to asking for an account number, username and password. With a bit of anger Davros looked up at him clearly looking for an answer as to why this had happened.

"You'll receive your payment **after** I am satisfied that the merchandise is authentic and free of any **surprises**." He said with firmness that would not be changed.

For a moment it looked like Davros was going to try and force a transfer of funds right there and then, but then he seemed to force himself to calm down before returning to his usual businessman calmness.

"Very well. My luxury transport is waiting outside. Shall we go?" Davros asked gesturing in the right direction.

A nod was all he gave before settling into a stance that clearly said 'you first'.

_So far so good. Now if only the Force can keep things like this for a while longer._ He thought to himself as he and Erica picked up the rear of the group.

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	9. Journeys into Darkness

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the copyrighted materials shown herein. They are the rightful property of the respective creators and associated companies. I make no money off of this so filing a lawsuit against me would be a waste of both time and money. 

Note: I have recently decided to end Divergence where 'Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones' ends. A while after the last chapter I will start a drabble/short/ficlet series highlighting Xander's adventures during the Clone Wars. While there will be some must have adventures for him in order to move my overall plot along I have nothing really planned. Therefore I am leaving it up to you the readers to suggest some potential Clone Wars Adventures for me to right. I cannot guarantee I will right all of them but if three or four catch me in a choke hold demanding that I write them then odds are they'll get posted.

Now on with the show…

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Back Entrance of the Fifteen Moons Casino, Thirty Minutes Later 

_So far it seems that Master's plan is working._ Erica thought as she exited Davros' luxury transport after the crime lord and 'Slade Ordo', _None of these criminals seem to suspect that He is not whom he claims to be._

That did not stop her, however, from keeping her sensors at full strength and her hand in a perfect position to grab her blaster should the situation require it. Thus far her scans of their biology did not indicate increased signs of tension or deception that would be present if they knew the Master was actually a Jedi. All the input she received implied that they were perfectly at ease for the most part, with only a hint of anticipation that could be attributed to finally getting their hands on their 'payment'. Hopefully nothing would change between now and when she, her Master and the captives were safely back aboard the Shinigami. As they approached the back entrance, she took a moment to survey the surroundings just in case they needed to make an escape after.

Looking about, she could see the usual collection of security cameras and panning lights covering the usual areas, but she believed that those were merely for show. More than likely there were hidden weapon emplacements as well as invisible doors from which security personnel could emerge. However, without an opportunity to inspect the environment in detail, she could do no more than estimate where they were based on her knowledge of tactics, strategy and intelligence files. Committing the most favorable locations to memory, she proceeded along with the rest of the group as they entered an average-looking service entrance, revealing a short corridor before changing into a descending staircase. This struck her as odd, since it made her wonder where this hallway connected with the main Casino floor open to the public. For a moment she considered asking that question, since it wouldn't be too far outside of her character, but at the last moment kept her silence. It might seem too suspicious for her to be asking such a thing, since it could be construed as intel-gathering for a double cross. That had the potential to complicate matters unnecessarily.

Down, down, down the stairs they went until she estimated that they were a hundred meters below ground. Looking around her, Erica could see bare cables hanging on the walls and pipes hanging overhead, making it clear that this area was not meant to be seen by wealthy guests or foppish contributors. This was only to be seen by those that didn't care what the décor was like, so long as they got what they wanted in the end. As they traversed the pipe and cable-laden hallway, she did her best to make an internal map of things so that she could lead her Master out should such a move be required. It was only twenty minutes later that she saw the first signs that they might have finally reached their destination as holding cells began to line the hallways on either side. Some were garden variety holding cells that were obviously not constructed with the intention of containing skilled or cunning prisoners with the ability to break out. However, as they proceeded further, the cells and their containment measures grew more sophisticated. It was when they reached the cells that were beyond what a Naboo security force could handle that she knew they had arrived at their destination. Her belief was proven true when Davros came to a stop in front of one cell along with his two bodyguards.

"As you can see, I chose to take no chances with these prisoners because, while most of them are simple peasants, the ones I 'acquired' from the Naboo cruiser you inquired about are not." Davros said as he removed what looked to be a specialized security key, "Every side of the cell is two feet thick and as durable as any blast door you could mention. Add to that, gas injectors that activate the moment that either the internal cameras or the audio pick ups are rendered inoperative. Couple with a trained security team monitoring their every move and the possibility of them escape is nullified."

_Effective. No action is unobserved and should they attempt to eliminate their captor's surveillance capabilities, they are immediately neutralized. _Erica thought as she made a mental note of each containment measure just in case, _Still, no prison is completely foolproof. You just have to think outside the box, as Master would say._

"Enough with the presentation," Master said in perfect keeping with his false personae. "Show me what I came here for."

"As you wish," Davros said with some annoyance at the impatience of 'Slade'.

Inserting the complex security key into its designated slot, she watched as several internal pieces began to shift around, along with several split second energy spikes that registered on her sensors. It was only for three seconds that this complex shifting and spiking took place before the locks on the door that lay inside it and the walls it touched disengaged, allowing the thick door to slide into its hidden compartment. She could hear the sounds of frightened females inside, some human and some not, indicating at the very least that there were prisoners in there.

"Feel free to inspect the merchandise." Davros said with his usual, but perhaps faked, friendly businessman demeanor.

"Barda." Was all that 'Slade said and she knew what he wanted her to do.

Entering the cell, she could already confirm via her facial recognition system that each woman in the cell, save one, was a dead on match with the missing ex-slave girls as well as the crew of the Naboo cruiser Sarahari was on. The unknown woman looked to be an Arkanian with her white hair, white skin, pointed ears and blue tattoo being evidence enough for her. Deciding to shelve the anomaly for the moment, Erica removed a portable scanner that she'd found and modified aboard the Shinigami, she began to one-by-one scan the DNA of each female in the cell. Comparing each one to the DNA records she'd been able to hack out of the citizen registry on Naboo, she found that the genetic code was a match for the kidnapped women as well. However, both faces and DNA could be replicated or imitated with the right technology and, while she could not think of a reason why Davros would go to such lengths to deceive them, she chose to take her examination one step further. Using her own senses to scan them as deeply as she could, using the same precision she had used to commit her Master's characteristics to memory when first activated, she began to examine each cell occupant for signs of artificial alterations. It took a while and, peripherally, she could hear Davros getting impatient, she paid it no mind since confirming the authenticity of the women in front of her took priority.

In the end there was no doubt as to the identities of the females in front of her.

They were the ones her Master sought to rescue.

"Well?" 'Slade' asked from his position by the door.

"It's them, boss. I've run every test I can without a full lab or high resolution sensor scans." She said as she looked Sarahari in the eye and tried to convey to the Catharian that help had arrived, "Considering the amount of time that Davros has had them as his 'guests', I do not see how he could have produced copies or fakes."

"Good. Then let us conclude our business here." 'Slade' said with a nod of acknowledgment, "Give him the money."

"Oh, that won't be necessary. I have what I want." Davros said with an entirely too smug voice.

Sensing a double cross about to be enacted, Erica tried to make it to her Master in time to shield him from whatever they had planned but was too late. From an enemy behind her Master a projectile flew through the air, hitting him lightly before wires exploded from the object's surface, binding the Padawan in Mandelorian clothing in seconds. However it did not end there, for as the wiring finished wrapping itself around its target, arcs of electricity danced up and down Xander's body, causing him to cry out in pain. Seeing this inspired an emotion in her mind that, up until then, she could safely say she had never experienced before but now had thrumming through her body greatly. Pulling her blaster from its holster, she prepared to kill Davros, his two bodyguards and anyone else who tried to harm her Master. Just before she was about to exit the cell and enter the hallway, she used environmental information as well as the trajectory of the electro-tangler that had rendered her Master unconscious to estimate the locations of Davros and his bodyguards. Diving into a roll, she prepared to deliver a series of lethal shots to places on all three of her primary targets that would instantly kill them. However when her line of sight was enabled, instead of seeing the two bodyguards she'd planned on killing first, under the belief that Davros was too much of a businessman to be much of a threat, she only found two mechanical arms extending from the wall with weapons attached to them.

_Where are Davros' bodyguards?_ She thought before deciding to turn around and deal with Davros.

Sadly she turned just in time to feel a metal sphere impact with her chest before wires of a different composition than the ones binding her Master shot out of the sphere and wrapped themselves around her. She had but a moment to attempt to prevent the wires from completely restricting her movements but found them to be stronger than her own H.R.D muscles were. Then all she felt was pain and system wide malfunctions as the electricity released from the sphere played havoc with her internal systems. She didn't think there'd be any permanent harm or anything requiring repair, but it would reduce her combat worthiness by two thirds until everything returned to normal. Bracing herself as she fell to the ground, Erica tried to figure out how this had happened and how to prevent it from happening again. She figured that her Master had been caught unawares because he had intentionally trying to muffle his own Force abilities in order to keep any Force sensitives Davros might have on the payroll from suspecting anything. That would have kept him from hearing any whispers of warning about an attack from the rear or even the departure of the bodyguards if they were silent enough. Then it was her own presumption that Davros was not a serious threat that had resulted in her own current predicament and so she promised herself that when this was over, she'd **seriously** update her tactical software.

"Looks like everything went exactly like he said it would." Davros said, although his voice was somewhat distorted due to her audio receivers still dealing with the lingering effects of the electro-tangler, "Strip them of their weapons and place them in **separate** level nine holding cells, but remove the blasters mounted on the walls. We don't want this young Jedi using them to blast off his restraints."

"What about the droid? None of our usual restraining gear will work on it," Asked one of the bodyguards with some concern.

"Put it in that the cell with the electro-dampening system we had installed for cyborgs. It won't disable it completely, but it should keep the droid contained." Davros replied before pulling a com-unit from his belt and raising it to his mouth, "Kaion? Have you taken their ship yet?"

She tried to hear more, if only to ascertain the status of Rreya, who should have been on the ship if she obeyed Master's orders. However one of the bodyguards noticed that she was still the H.R.D equivalent of conscious and quickly remedied the situation with a swift kick to her head.

Her only thought as her primary cognitive functions were knocked offline?

_It's __**SHE**__ not __**IT**__ you bastards!!_

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_**Davros' Office, Twenty-Minutes Later**_

_Damn Kaion! Can't even take __**one**__ ship with a teenage Twi'lek female on board!_ Davros thought angrily as he poured himself a glass of Corellian brandy before sitting in his comfortable chair behind his custom made desk, _I don't care if she __**is**__ a Jedi Padawan! If he'd just stuck to the plan our employer laid out, the ship wouldn't have gotten away!_

Nevertheless it had gotten away and was apparently rigged with some kind of stealth technology of some kind because neither his ships nor his connections in the Ord Mantell spaceport authority could find a trace of it. He knew it was probably still in the area, the female probably trying to figure out a way to rescue her friends, but until the girl actually tried anything or he got lucky, there was nothing he could do.

Taking a moment to savor the brandy, he then tapped the communications system controls built into his chair and opened a com channel to the man who'd employed him for this little charade. It took a few minutes, probably because it was going through no less than thirty relay stations from what his tracer programs could tell, but eventually a holographic image of a man in a cape and hood combo appeared. Much like he had with the tracer programs, he'd tried to have his tech people pick apart the images in the hopes of finding out his employer's identity but to no avail. Probably just as well since, judging from the man's intel, he was not someone to be crossed lightly, if at all, and it certainly wasn't profitable enough for him to pursue the matter further as far as he knew. Deciding to put on his best businessman face, Davros figured it was time to report on the success of the job but without mentioning that the ship with the female Twi'lek on it had gotten away. His employer had put more emphasis on capturing the boy in Mandalorian armor along with the human replica droid than the female Twi'lek and he knew his people would catch the tramp sooner or later.

"I trust you have contacted me to report that you were successful, Davros?" The Hooded Man asked with an artificially distorted voice.

"Indeed, Mr. Tyrranus. Both targets showed up right when you said they would and followed the script you specified almost to the letter. The boy actually did a passable imitation of a real Mandalorian, except a real one would never have taken their eyes of anyone armed." Davros replied, trying to sound proud of his accomplishment without sounding too arrogant, "Still, those plasma-tanglers you recommended worked like a charm on both him and his droid. I have them locked up in the best holding cells I have with guards positioned every ten feet for fifty feet in every direction. They won't be getting out anytime soon."

"Good. I see that my faith in your abilities was not misplaced." Tyrranus stated with his usual politeness and decorum.

"Like I said when you first contacted me, if you want a job done you hire any piece of scum you can find, but if you want a job done **right** I'm the person to talk to." He said with his usual professional flourish, "So will you be coming to pick them up yourself?"

"I will be sending someone to handle transporting of the prisoners in a short while. However, before he arrives, there is one more thing I would like for you to do." Tyrranus said in a tone that implied that a face-to-face was out of the question, "I want you to break him. Psychologically speaking, of course."

"Is there any…particular reason for this?" Davros asked carefully, since it was dangerous in his line of work to inquire too deeply about the affairs of an employer.

"The boy has a history of defiance and insubordination that I wish to have eliminated." Tyrranus replied with a stern tone of voice, "Is it within your capabilities to do this?"

Obviously this was a subtle way of saying 'inquire further and I will find someone else' without actually saying it out loud. Deciding that it wasn't worth burning a potential repeat customer, Davros decided to cease his inquiries for the time being and wait until he was in a more favorable position.

"Certainly. Any restrictions or criteria you want followed?" He asked, deciding to make sure he didn't step over a line by accident.

"As stated, neither he nor his droid are to be physically harmed. Aside from that, use whatever methods you find suitable to break his will before my subordinate arrives." Tyrranus replied professionally, losing the stern tone of voice he had used beforehand.

"Consider it done. By the time your guy comes to pick them up putting up, a fight won't even exist in that Padawan's mind." He said with complete confidence in himself where breaking a person' spirit was concerned.

"Good. My subordinate will arrive in eighteen hours. See that it is done by then." Tyrranus said before severing the connection resulting in a holographic copy of the casinos sign to appear.

While he was beginning to get an ominous feeling about this particular job, Davros dismissed it and began to consider what would be the best method to break a Jedi-in-training without leaving any physical damage. First he considered one or more of the most addictive drugs that he and his boss occasionally trafficked in when weapons dropped in demand a little bit. Then he dismissed this since most drugs had a deteriorating effect on users that pretty much reduced them to slave labor inside of ten years. Given that Tyrranus had stressed that the method could not physically harm the padawan, he disregarded this method immediately. The next option he considered was a sensory deprivation tank since it was a well known fact that prolonged exposure to such a device was known to have a serious effect on a humanoid's mind. However that method was discarded about halfway through since he figured that with the abilities the Jedi supposedly had, the tank would only be partially effective.

It was when he was reviewing what he knew of the Jedi Learner that he hit upon an idea that would work nicely. His only regret was that it would mean no financially rewarding bonus for him this time around at worst and, at most, he might make two thirds the amount he otherwise would have. Still, it was the best plan he had and, with only eighteen hours to work with, he knew he'd have to get started sooner rather than later.

_Ah well! A quarter million credits, a quarter million plus fifty thousand, it's still more than the boss pays me per month._ He thought as he finished his glass of brandy and prepared to have things set up in sub-level three.

_Looks like some of our more 'eccentric' guests are going to get a real good show tonight._ He thought as he recalled what usually happened on that level.

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_**Three Hours Later, Sub-Level Three**_

"Time to wake up, Jedi," Came a voice that only received partial recognition as the mind that did the recognizing reached the halfway point to the top of Mt. Consciousness.

Sadly it seemed as though whoever had spoken wasn't happy with his rate of ascension and decided to give him a little boost. The fact that the boost came in the form of a painful amount of electricity being shoved down his throat like someone thought he breathed electrons rather than oxygen. While it did have the effect of throwing him to the top of Mount Consciousness, Xander mentally wished whoever had done that that they'd choose a less painful method next time. Once the pain had faded to acceptable levels he opened his eyes as well as his other senses in order to get an idea of just how much trouble he was in as well as what his chances were of getting out of it in one piece.

The first thing he picked up on was the fact that his arms, his legs his waist and his neck all had chains wrapped tightly around them, making it inadvisable to make any drastic movements in any direction. Considering the jolt that he'd just received and the fact that he didn't recall feeling anything pressed up against his body sorta implied that his captor channeled the energy through the restraints. It could have also been done via some kind of energy weapon, since there were no shortage of weapons that could throw electricity varying distances. His eyes told him first that, for some reason, he still had his Mandelorian helmet on but that most, if not all, of the bells and whistles it had were inoperable at the moment. Whether that was because they had been removed, disabled or had simply been destroyed, he didn't know for certain but he'd worry about them later. Looking past the helmet itself, he could see that he was on some sort of platform overlooking an arena of sorts, oval in shape, with seats crammed full of spectators arrayed around it. The ones closest to his position looked like the criminal elite with only a few of them bothering to get all dressed up in formal wear and the rest wearing their everyday clothes. The arena itself though looked open and accessible for the most part, except for curved bars that went up a good fifty feet before curving sharply inward. Most would think the bars mere decoration because they certainly looked the part but he knew better.

They served a more practical purpose he was sure.

"Nice to see you back with us, 'Slade'. For a moment there I was afraid I'd have to give you another jolt to wake you up," came the voice from earlier, pre-jolt, but this time he recognized it as belonging to Davros.

Based on the man's way of saying 'Slade' and his current predicament, it was fairly safe to assume that somehow the plan he'd conceived had gone pearshaped on him. Whether the crime boss knew that he was a Jedi was debatable, but it was safe to say that the asshole knew that 'Slade Ordo' was just a disguise and never really existed. It also likely meant that the man knew the money didn't exist either, so trying to bribe/buy his way out of his current predicament was slim. Looking in the direction Davros' voice came from he saw that the scum bag was sitting on a very fancy looking golden throne with Erica chained to it wearing a skimpy outfit similar to what Sarahari and her girls had been wearing when he'd found them. She was shackled up pretty tight around her wrists, ankles and neck with chains connect them all together that converged into one before attaching to a loop on the throne. Considering how strong he knew she was, it was doubtful that the shackles and chains were keeping her from coming to his aide and that meant Davros had something hanging over the proverbial bottomless pit keeping her docile.

_Most likely he threatened to do something to me unless she played nice._ He thought as he finished his survey of his surroundings, _Better get a better idea of what he's up to so I can turn the tables on him later._

"One is fine, though I'd appreciate it if you cut down on the amps though." Xander said deciding that keeping up his 'soldier for hire' routine was pretty pointless, "I hear they're bad for your health."

"Heheheheh. Pretty funny. Didn't think Padawan's had a sense of humor." Davros said with a three second chuckle at the joke, "Then again, I didn't think they could act very well either, but I have to admit that you did a pretty good impression of a Mandolorian. Still didn't get rid of that damn Jedi cockiness, though, and that's what did you in. Or maybe you thought that this pretty little H.R.D would pick up the slack?"

With a vicious jerk of the chains Davros forced Erica closer to him before looking her over like prime piece of meat.

"Gotta say that I like your taste, my friend. I myself toyed with the idea of getting one of these myself a couple months back." Davros said without breaking off his leering appraisal of Erica, "I must have spent three whole weeks looking through the selection they had available for just the right one." Davros then sighed, "In the end, though, I decided that it was too costly and tried to remain content with whatever girl struck my fancy around the casino."

Then, in a move that both surprised and angered him, Davros shot out with his right hand, grabbed one of Erica's bra-encased breasts and squeezed.

"Amazing how life-like they are, isn't it? I've felt up more than my share of beautiful women in my time and for the life of me I can't tell the difference at the moment." Davros said, finally turning in the direction of his Jedi in Mandalorian clothing, "A real prize you have here, 'Slade', a real prize indeed!"

With those words the arms dealer shoved Erica backwards, causing her fall on her ass and almost cause the sheet of fabric hanging between her legs to fly askew, exposing all that did or didn't lye beneath. Xander noticed that, throughout the fall, she had done her best to prevent the chain linking her to the throne from being put under any significant stress whatsoever. A mystery but one most likely connected to some kind of 'incentive device' Davros had in order to keep control over the situation. He filed that little bit of information away in the back of his mind since circumventing or neutralizing those incentive devices would be crucial in the escape plan.

"Of course, now that I have it in **my** possession, it'll actually be **my** H.R.D." Davros said with undisguised greed plastered all over his face, "I'll probably have to invite the creator come and do some reprogramming, but I think I can manage to find the guy. A complete memory dump, some **unique** behavior patterns and an unending database of pleasuring techniques should make it one of my most prized possessions."

The idea of this jackass treating Erica like that for the rest of her existence sparked a flame of anger within him, but knowing that getting hotheaded wouldn't help anyone, Xander used a brief Jedi meditation technique to calm himself down. A calm, objective mind was what was needed to figure out a way out of this mess. NOT some hotheaded idiot running around looking for some ass to kick. Deciding that fishing for info might prove rewarding he decided to get a little Q&A session started.

"Considering that she's one of a kind, I wouldn't be so sure of that. Add to that the fact that no one really knows where her maker is at the moment and anyone you hire is probably going to screw up big time." Xander said, unable to resist dashing the man's hopes of gaining a compliant Erica, "So seeing as how both me an Erica are still alive I assume you want something from us. What is it?"

"Oh, nothing much. But how about I show you rather than try and explain it to you?" Davros asked rhetorically before he activated something on his throne, "Send them in."

Turning his head as much as he could without pulling on any of his chains, Xander tried to find the door where Davros' surprise would be coming in from but couldn't find anything. Most likely this meant that the door was behind him. However, just as he was about to make some lame crack about the man's tactics, he heard the crowd around the arena roar with cheers and applause. Pulled by his natural curiosity, he looked towards the probable location of the crowd's amusement and what he saw froze his movements solid. Being forced into the middle of the area surrounded by curve poles was Sarahari, the kidnapped ex-slave girls and the Arkanian woman. All of them were dressed up as Amazon warrior women for the most part and had bladed weapons in their hands.

Of course the Amazon warrior clothes **HAD** to have been designed by a producer porn flick producer and the weapons **HAD** to be no bigger than the hands that held them.

_I've got a __**VERY**__ bad feeling about this!_ He thought as he tried to predict what Davros' game was.

"You see, what I originally wanted from those lovely ladies was to sell them to your old pall Xizor for a tidy profit, but it looks like he's still under close surveillance by the law enforcement community. No one else wants them, of course, so I've got a bunch of women who could probably **satisfy** quite a few of my clients, but no one wants such **hot** merchandise." Davros said conversationally as the two of them watched the young women look about the arena they were in for a way out, "It was just after you showed up that I had an epiphany about how I could still get a tidy profit out of them without selling them to anyone. I could feature them in my arena and earn a profit from all the people willing to watch them kill each other."

"They would never do that!" Xander said before his brain told him that that was a bad move to make.

"You'd be surprised what a person will do when the prize is their freedom. In the end, though, I decided that just having a bunch of barely trained or amateurish women fight it out would be pretty boring for my audience." Davros said with a gleam in his eyes that implied he'd seen good friends kill each other just to gain their freedom, "Then I remembered another illegal business venture me and my boss partake in every once in a while."

Pressing another button on his throne, Davros said nothing but gestured with his hand to look back towards the arena. Fearful of what he would see, Xander almost refused to do so but the warrior in him demanded that he know what foul threat the crime boss had unleashed.

What he saw almost completely shattered what self-restraint he had to the point where its destruction was inevitable.

Stalking out of several alternate openings in the walls of the arena were savage beasts of every size and shape, each of them looking particularly hungry at the moment. Blistmok Raptors, Coruscanti ogres and Nexu wild cats comprised the group with each of them being **very** deadly as well as **very** hard to kill. Considering that none of the women had weapons more than half a foot long and only two inches wide, the odds of them emerging triumphant without a single fatality was worse than winning the lottery. Even with Sarahri out there fighting her hardest, the best she could probably manage would be to delay things by a few more minutes. It was then though that he realized that the only prisoners that were out there were the females and that struck him as odd since he distinctly remembered some male crew members on the ship Sarahari had been on.

"Where are the other crew members of the Naboo cruiser?" Xander asked, splitting his attention between Davros and the stalking of the young women in the arena.

"The men? I decided that putting them in the show wouldn't generate quite the response I want from my audience." Davros replied while keeping his eyes firmly locked on the events taking place in the arena, "So I decided to allow some of my more 'unstable' employees have a little fun with them. Those Naboo security force guys are pretty tough, lasted three whole days before they died, but in the end they just couldn't endure Vossk's hospitality. Made a big mess too. Yech!"

Anger threatened to rise in him as he could only imagine what had happened to the Captain of the Naboo cruiser and those that had survived the attack. It also angered him that Davros was treating it all, the death of the men and the situation of the women, as though they were nothing more than business as usual. Oh, he had known like everyone else in the Republic that crime existed and could get pretty sickening on some worlds, but it was different experiencing the foulness first hand. It appalled him how sentient beings could treat another and if it wasn't for the obvious breathing, lack of fangs and enlarged forehead he would have sword Davros was a vamp. It was just like a vamp to take pleasure in the suffering of innocent people or to treat them like commodities to do with as he pleased. With the momentary connection between the undead back home and the man sitting leisurely on his throne he suddenly wished that the crime boss was a vamp because he would certainly take great pleasure in dusting the bastard.

He was about to make with the quippage along with a few well placed verbal jabs in order to make the idiot do something stupid when a pain filled scream cut through the air, yanking his attention back to the arena. What he saw sent reverberations of shock throughout his system as he saw a Durosian female, one of the young women he freed from Xizor, halfway out of the main arena. The shocking part, and for once he couldn't bring himself to find anything funny about the pun, was the fact that he was being bombarded with electricity from the curved poles that ringed around the perimeter of the arena. It wasn't a light shock meant to coax her back into the main arena floor with the others, but rather something meant to kill her within seconds should she try to escape. Before he could do more than cry out 'NO!' she was gone, her presence gone from this plain of existence as it became one with the Force, and her body fell back into the main arena to be sniffed at by the animals threatening the females before being dismissed. Looking at the women struggling desperately to survive, he watched as one after another they fall to one of the mindless creatures before them unable to do more than inflict superficial wounds on the beasts.

"STOP THIS! This isn't a **battle**! It's a **massacre**!"

"Of course it is! If there's one thing I've learned in my life, it's that there will always be two profitable things in the universe: death and lust." Davros said as though he were stating the obvious, "In that arena we have both: scantily clad females of various species and a fight to an inevitably messy death. Judging from the reactions of the audience, I'd say I can look forward to quite a few repeat customers in the future and quite bit of profit."

Davros wasn't exaggerating when he said that the crowd was enjoying every single minute of the carnage below as exemplified by the way they cheered when a Nexu began to tear into a Rodian female. Jerking his head left and right, Xander tried to find evidence of at least one half-moral being amongst those viewing the barbaric show but each and every one of them had a smile of pleasure on their faces. This stoked the flames of anger within him, causing them to intensify with every cheer or round of clapping he heard, as he tried to reconcile the more or less decent Republic with what he saw now. The two views clashed with one another and, while he knew that the entire Galactic Republic wasn't like this, he didn't understand why stronger actions weren't taken to prevent things like this from happening. It was a universally known fact that Ord Mantell was a place favored by mercenaries, gun smugglers and crime cartels, but to his knowledge nothing had been done to clear out the law breakers. He knew there existed political and lawful reasons that kept either Republic law enforcers or Jedi from simply swooping down and ending it all but surely there was enough evidence to warrant greater action. As a human female cried out in pain before falling silent, it was all he could do to remind himself what anger did to those that could use the Force. He knew that while the Dark Side of the Force might give him the strength to charge in there and rescue them, it would also open a door to a very malevolent place. One he might not be able to escape from should he succumb to it.

However as he watched the young green female Twi'lek, the one that had helped him disarm the control chips on Muunilinst, have her head bitten clear off her shoulders, he found he could not stand idly by any further. He **would NOT** let Jedi doctrine and dogma force him to watch more innocents die needlessly before him.

With that decision the walls he had built within him, the ones that he had made to keep his anger under control and contained, crumbled to the ground causing the landscape of his mind to undergo a dramatic change.

Peace ceased to be the dominant force within him.

Now it was malice filled fury that ruled his mind.

Fury that beckoned the Dark Side forth to do his bidding.

It was a moment that no one in the sub-level of the casino would **ever** forget.

Those that survived the storm, that was.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

_**Sub-level Three, The Fifteen Moons Casino, Erica's Perspective**_

Erica's mind was a storm of turmoil as she watched the very people her Master wanted to save slaughtered before his very eyes. Her sensors could tell from his bio-readings that Xander was under extreme emotional duress and she wanted nothing more than to help him. However Davros had done his homework by rigging her chains so that if any stress was put on them caused a moderate electrical charge to be dealt to the Padawan in Mandalorian armor. It got worse when she considered breaking out of them in the blink of an eye in the hopes of freeing her Master before the electricity killed him. Davros implied that the amount of electricity that was sent into Xander if she pulled on the chains was nothing compared to the massive power surge that would occur if she managed to break free from her bonds. Even if she rushed to him in a second after freeing herself, she couldn't outrun the voltage that would be sent up the chains and into her Master's body. So all she had been able to do since Xander woke up was refrain from doing anything that might provoke Davros into hurting the green-skinned Padawan. Now, though, she saw that he was being hurt, despite her desire to prevent it, not by physical means but by mental ones. If there was one thing that she knew more than anything else about Xander it was that he hated seeing someone in trouble and being unable to help them. He had once described it to her as his 'White Knight complex' and while she couldn't find specifically what that meant in her psychological database, his description of it being a compulsion to do the right thing and save those in distress fit him to a T. So to see the very people he had come here to save dying right before his eyes with no way to save them had to be tearing him up inside like few things could.

_I must figure out a way to turn the tables on Davros!_ She thought as she set her H.R.D brain to constructing the perfect plan to do just that.

It was then, though, that a dark fate took hold as, one by one, the links in the chains binding Xander shattered into pieces no larger than your average human's fingernail. Instead of falling to the ground like most would expect, the pieces remained airborne, holding their positions almost perfectly, and it was then that she realized what was going on. It was Force levitation, a basic skill taught to all Jedi, but in this case Xander wasn't using his hands or even looking at the metal fragments hovering around him. Instead, with almost droid-like precision, he rose to his feet as though nothing else in the universe existed but him. Sadly, failure to keep tabs on his surroundings was about to cause problems for him since she wasn't the only person to notice his unexpected act of power.

"I don't know how you managed that, Padawan, but move one more muscle or use any of your Jedi tricks and your droid will find itself a head shorter in the blink of an eye." Davros declared, trying to sound fully confident and dominating despite the faint tremor of fear in him.

Before the crime boss could move his hand to the buttons on his throne and before his bodyguards could finish raising their weapons, though, their faces and torsos exploded in a show of gore. For a moment she could not understand how it had happened but when she reviewed what her optical receivers had recorded, she could see groups of blurs hurtling through the air to each of spots where the fatal wounds had appeared. Looking back towards her Master, she saw all the proof she needed to determine that Xander had been the one to slay the criminals. What bothered her, though, was the lack of movement on his part since, during the entire event, he hadn't moved an inch or shown the slightest bit of emotion. It was when he turned his head in her direction though that she truly became unsettled for she sensed none of his usual warmth or good cheer in his gaze.

It was like he felt nothing at all from killing those people.

It was her confusion and worry that caused what came next to surprise her so completely as the shackles and chains restraining her shattered with the remains joining those already floating around him like moths around a flame. She hadn't felt the slightest pressure against her body when the metal objects had shattered, nothing to indicate the shackles had put up any fight at all, and that spoke of power she didn't think Xander had.

"Xander how did you--?" she tried to ask but before she could finish asking her question two things happened that shut her up immediately.

The bodies of the dead criminals were thrown through the glass window separating the departed Davros' personal box seats from the rest of the audience, shattering it into pieces as well as getting the attention of the people closest to it. However, so much power and lift was behind the move that the bodies continued to fly through the air before finally impacting on the electrical batter around the arena. At first she had thought that Davros had implanted the victimized women with some sort of signal implant that would trigger the barrier if they tried to escape. Now, though, it looked like the barrier switched on the moment something biological tried to pass between one of the curved pipes. So while the bodies of Davros and his two bodyguards may have been lifeless, they were still biological enough to trigger the barrier, resulting in a barrage of electricity being channeled directly at them. Thus it came to pass that by the time the bodies hit the floor of the arena, they looked like charred skeletons to all.

Needless to say this got **EVERYONE'S** attention.

No doubt they were all wondering what was going on and what had thrown the three now identifiable only by their dental records bodies into as well as through the barrier.

They soon got the answer to their question for, in a feat of Force levitation she had never before, her Master rose from the floor of Davros' box seat room and flew through the hole he had made. It took less than half a second for her to figure out where he was going as he passed through the air in a straight line directly for the arena where Sarahari and her girls were imprisoned. As for the crowd beneath him, most of them knew a bad thing when they saw one and immediately made for the exits. However as she soon discovered the doors for some reason would not open no matter what was employed by the members of the moral adjacent. Those that tried to use brute strength found it useless despite the fact that the metal the doors were made of should have given way from the power behind their blows. Those that attempt to use blasters and other energy weapons to blow their way out had the misfortune of having their weapons explode in their hands as if set to overload.

_How is he doing this without even looking at them?_ She thought as what she saw contradicted what she knew about how the Jedi implemented the Force.

While she had seen examples of Jedi moving things without looking at them, they almost always used their hands to guide the levitated object to its target. Also she had only ever heard of skilled Jedi Knights and Masters being able to manipulate multiple objects with the Force at the same time. While Xander had shown great promise and even had the respect of his mentors, he was nowhere near their level in either power or skill. No matter how much she searched her vast repository of knowledge, she could not come up with an acceptable theory as to how her Master was doing all of this. It was at that point, though, that her hypothesizing took a back seat to what was going on in the real world since, for the first time since this bizarre turn of events started, Xander raised his arms from his sides. However this sudden swing towards something familiar swiftly changed to the ominous as the sounds of metal under a great deal of pressure cut through the chaotic clamor of those trying to escape the room. With only a little bit of resistance, each of the curve poles surrounding the arena popped out of their places and rose into the air until they were level with him. Then, with a dismissive wave, he banished them from his sight, sending them hurtling in random directions with more than a few of them going through members of the fleeing audience before stopping three feet into the concrete ground.

With the barrier no longer keeping anyone or anything inside the arena, a stroke of good luck occurred when some of the beasts smelled the bloody fresh meat of those spectators that had been impaled by the curved rods. Two Nexu and three ogres turned away from their unsatisfactory prey to seek immediate grub by climbing into the stands surrounding the arena. However before they finished entering the stands, plumes of blood and gore burst forth both from her heads and their throats, killing them in much the same way that Davros had been murdered. However it didn't stop there for, in another second, an unrelenting barrage of unseen yet deadly pieces of shattered metal rained down on the remaining beasts that stalked those women whom her Master had come to save. By the time that the signs of high velocity bombardment had ended, all of the beasts resembled something that had been put through an archaic meat grinder with their bodily fluids staining the ground. It was only then that Xander descended closer to the ground as he landed on the stone wall that surrounded the arena where the survivors of Davros' little fun came to realize that they might just live to see another day after all.

The fun wasn't over yet, since about that time those ethically questionable members of the audience apparently came to the conclusion that the only way they were living through this nightmare was to destroy the source. As one they did a one eighty and charged Xander's position, with the only good thing about the situation being that the majority of them had lost their blasters trying to blow the exit doors down. Those that still had them were obviously knowledgeable enough to know that their little pea-shooters had no chance of piercing Mandalorian armor. None of them managed to enter striking distance, though, for, with a simple gesture, the bloodied metal fragments that orbited his position went on the attack once more. The carnage they wrought was so horrible that it was too much even for her to stomach and so she looked away until the last of the screams died down. However the silence was not necessarily a good thing as, when she looked back, she could see that those that had been trying to get out the exits on the other side of the room had chosen to try a sneak attack. They looked about ready to spring their trap but then, without warning, each of them dropped to the ground like puppets whose strings had been cut.

Looking carefully, she easily found the clue that told her how they had died for from their eyes, ears, nose and mouth. Consulting the database she had been given for assassination and combat missions, she knew that in every biological entity there were certain blood vessels that, when popped, produced instant death in their victims. Usually this was done by putting pressure on those blood vessels with the ones deeper in the body usually requiring more 'unique' methods to be employed. Given the power and ability that Xander showed her so far, she had no doubt that with the right application of the Force, it would have been child's play for him to destroy the blood vessels required. This show of skill, however, didn't help drive the feeling from her mind that this was **NOT** the Xander she knew and loved. This was someone all together different and it frightened her more than anything she had experienced to date.

"I have to stop this!" She gasped before she leapt through the shattered window and used the seats as stepping stones to get her where she wanted to go.

Her desire to reach her Master only grew as she noticed that not all of those that had tried to attack him head on had been killed in his fragment barrage. With moans of pain and movements that spoke of significant injury, a group of crowd members tried desperately to get away from the incarnation of death before them. It seemed that whatever had given Xander his new power wasn't done showing off though, as, with a rising gesture, those criminal elite still alive rose into the air, struggling every inch of the way. She knew she only had moments before he slew them, so with every bit of strength in her legs, she leapt the rest of the distance between the two and tackled him to the ground. While she was somewhat puzzled on the way down to the ground about why he hadn't stopped her like he had the other sneak attacks, she could only conclude that he hadn't sensed her coming. While she might look like a human, she was still primarily a droid and, as such, had no connection to the Force for him to use to perceive her with. With the power behind her tackle, they both hit the ground hard and, from the sudden yelps followed by thumps, those that had been caught in her Master's grip were also down. Perhaps not very gently, but they'd survive and she'd be sure to call in the local medics as soon as they were safely away.

"Xander, snap out of it! They're safe! Sarahari and the others are safe!" She yelled at him, trying to cut through whatever was compelling him to slaughter those that oppose him, "XANDER!"

Deciding that one good hit would be needed, she ripped off his Mandalorian helmet and delivered one helluva slap across his right cheek. Not enough to break bone or turn his green skin purple, but hopefully enough to knock him back to his senses.

For a moment he looked at her with such cold rage that she feared that he would strike her down. Thankfully, though, the moment passed as she watched the warmth and feeling she always attributed to her Master but that turned out to be a mixed blessing for, by returning him to the way he was, she also enabled him to realize what he'd just done, thus experiencing the emotions that went with those memories all at once. He trembled as he sat up from the ground and looked like he was either going to go catatonic or suffer a serious mental breakdown. However she couldn't let that happen because while it was true that none of the crooks in the room were in any position to stop them from fleeing the rest of the complex was another matter entirely. Even if she armed herself with the remaining functional blasters and armed the surviving women in the arena, they would need Xander's aid through the Force to get them out safely. He would be able to sense the enemy allowing them to sneak past them undetected and that is the one thing they need more than anything. Looking over at Sarahari and the others, she could tell that while they were not wounded into immobility, they were in no shape for a drawn out fight. They needed to get to the Shinigami as soon as possible before someone happened upon this carnal house and stirred up the entire planet.

"Don't you even think of checking out on us now, Xander!!" She yelled at him as she grabbed the edges of his chest plate and shook him, "We need to get out of here and we need your help! Sarahari and the girls you came to save **need YOUR help!**"

"Y-you're right. Let's go." Xander said with barely coherent determination as his trembling dropped to a minimum and he got to his feet.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

_**The Shinigami, Two Minutes After the Jump into Hyperspace, Private Quarters**_

_Why did I ever think I could handle a mission like this?_ Xander thought as he lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling, _All I did was get half the kidnapping victims killed and take a step onto a very dark path. Some Jedi I am!_

He had been like this ever since he had met up with Rreya and the Shinigami at the spaceport. It had been a rough trip since, soon after Erica knocked some sense into him, a swell of fatigue had overcome him like nothing he'd felt training at the temple. He had been forced to lean on Erica from the back entrance to the casino all the way to the spaceport and he had been so pitiful looking that they'd carried him straight to the room. He'd been there ever since, reflecting on his 'rescue mission' and, while he couldn't say that he hadn't made the right choice in coming to Ord Mantell, his execution of the rescue had been half-baked to say the least. He had been a fool to think that the same half-assed kind of plans that had helped the Scooby gang beat the baddies back home would be able to do the same here. For one thing, the demons back home were either complete idiots or so full of themselves that they inevitably got careless somewhere along the way.

It wasn't the same case here.

While the baddies did have arrogance and stupidity from time to time, the ones that couldn't handle those two variables were restricted to the bottom rung of the ladder. Those that were able to reign in their confidence and actually had a brain inside their head made villains like The Master and Spike look like amateurs. Even Angelus and the Mayor didn't compare to the mysterious Sith lord that was manipulating things from behind the scenes. Both of those mooks got cockier with every minor victory they managed to pull off and that led to carelessness in the most crucial moments. So, add it all up, and he had no choice but to concede that the plans of a teenager fell short of the mark when pitted against true evil. The only reason any of the girls were still alive was because he allowed his control to shatter and for the Dark Side to taint his soul with its power. He had been so furious at the cavalier way Davros was killing the innocent and how the audience had only cheered on the carnage. It simply didn't compute how people could cheer on such slaughter, especially when the match up was so obviously stacked in favor of the beasts. It was one thing to cheer on a fight where both warriors had a fifty-fifty chance of winning, but to toss a group of young women with only one of them trained to fight was sick in the extreme. Forced to view such a horrible sight, most would say that he couldn't be blamed for losing it and channeling the Dark Side to wipe the floor with the scum of Ord Mantel.

_However, I know better. _He thought as he briefly glanced out the window at the tunnel of blue outside his window, _No matter what the situation, a person __**always**__ has a choice! I know I made the wrong one._

Hearing the door to his room slide open, he turned his head slightly to see who it was and was somewhat surprised to see Sarahari come in, wearing some spare clothes that had no doubt come from the lockers of the remodeled transports regular crew. Worker boots, blue pants that showed off her toned legs, a crimson shirt that looked to be about a size and a half too big and a black vest to top it all off made up her new look entirely. Considering that her Naboo Security Force uniform was toast and it was highly unlikely she approved of Davros' choice of clothing for her, it was doubtful she could hope for better. Still, it was a bit of a surprise that it was her that chose to check up on him instead of Erica or, Force forbid, Rreya, but in a way he was happy it was her who had come. If either the H.R.D or the female Twi'lek had chosen to check up on him, his mood would only drop if they had appeared before him. They were his friends and right now, after all that had happened, he was too ashamed to face them after all his mistakes, especially Erica. Erica had been with him every step of the way and had shown unflinching trust in his decisions, even though she probably could have come up with a better plan herself. As a result she had nearly been forced into a lifetime of perverse servitude under Davros doing things that made him shudder just to think about it.

"How do you fare, Padawan Xander?" Sarahari asked as she came to sit in a chair by the side of his bed.

"Like I just went twenty rounds with a full grown Wookie. And lost. Badly." He replied painting a pretty accurate picture of his physical state.

"Yet you survived and that is a sign of true strength in my eyes," Sarahari said with a respectful smile on her face.

At the mention of strength, he had no choice but to recall his moment of weakness when he gave into the Dark Side and let it compel him to slaughter those criminals.

"Maybe, but there's a right kind of strength and a wrong kind of strength." He said, barely able to keep his feelings concerning his performance on Ord Mantell, "I might've survived, but the cost was something no one would want to pay."

"It is true that lives were lost that were precious to both of us but many more, my own included, would have been lost had you not acted." Sarahari said with solemn tones in her voice as she remembered the deaths of those under her protection, "So while the situation may not have happened as you desired, take solace in the fact that you prevented the situation from turning out worse than it did."

He couldn't find fault in her statement but it did not change the fact that his mission was only a partial victory and he had still given into the temptation of the Dark Side. He had been riding such a power rush slaughtering those crooks that it had taken the intervention of one of the top three most important people to snap him out of it.

"This is the second time that you have come to my aid at great personal risk as well as professional." Sarahari said with significant gratitude in her voice, "More than ever before I am in your debt, Padawan."

"Your debt to me for freeing you from Xizor was paid by your watching over the other liberated slave girls for the past few years. As for this rescue…well…considering how well it turned out, just see what you can do to make sure that no one manages to kidnap them again," Xander said, hoping that she would not put up the same kind of fuss she did on Muunilinst. "See what you can do to fix the security protocols on Naboo so that the same scheme they used to kidnap the girls won't happen again."

"It goes without saying that when I return to Naboo, I will be spending my time **persuading** the commander of the planetary security forces to increase the strength of our defenses. However that payment of my debt would fall under the same debt that required I protect my fellow former slaves from further danger." Sarahari said making her determination not to fail again evident in her voice, "As for this debt I will repay it by speaking personally to the Jedi Council and doing all I can to persuade them to be lenient with you for coming to our aid."

"The Jedi Council? What do you--?" he asked not knowing how she knew he was in trouble with the Council but he had a hunch on that.

"Erica and your Twi'lek companion explained to me that you chose to come to our rescue despite orders from two members of the Jedi Council to not get involved." Sarahari replied respectfully as she told him where she got the information, "So I vow to do all I can to keep them from being too severe with their punishment. However, should the worst happen, should they expel you from the Order, I will also ensure that you have a place amongst the members of the Naboo volunteer security force."

While he was annoyed that Erica and Rreya had told Sarahari something that would compel the Catharian to repay her perceived debt or enlarge that debt to bothersome levels, he knew there was little he could do about it now. He couldn't change the past and he very much doubted that anything he could say would dissuade her from paying him back in full. He'd just have to use the time between now and, when they arrived at Coruscant, to figure out some other way that she could repay him. Maybe he could have her look into the events surrounding the Trade Federation blockade of Naboo, especially the Sith involvement. She would have more time to examine the records on Naboo than he would in the Temple and perhaps a fresh perspective would give him the insight he needed to figure out the mystery of the return of the Sith. For now, though, he needed to get some rest because he had a feeling he'd need every bit of strength he could get in order to weather the storm of the Jedi Council's debriefing.

"Thanks, Sarahari. Now, if you don't mind, I'm in serious need of some sleep." He said before doing his best to move into a comfortable position, "Wake me up when we come out of hyperspace over Coruscant, okay?"

"Sleep well, Padawan. I will ensure that you awake before we land on Coruscant." Sarahari replied with a nod of commitment before she rose from her seat and left the room.

Using the controls that rested by his bedside, Xander turned off the lights and, one minute later, his fatigue sent him off to dream land.

However he would soon discover that it wasn't going to be the peaceful sleep he had sought after.

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_**Dreamscape**_

_O-kay! Big ass desert? Check. Twin Suns? Check. Jedi clothes on? Check._ He thought as he took in the area that stretched out before his eyes, _So where exactly am I and why aren't I having that dream about getting pulled back into the female Jedi locker room?_

While he knew that there was no real way to choose what one dreamed when they fell asleep, what he saw now was definitely not in the top five when it came to dreams he wanted to have. HELL! It wasn't even in the top fifty as far as he was concerned! Still, he was stuck with it so he might as well see how he could make it work for him until Sarahari woke him up later.

Looking around some more, he quickly spotted what looked to be some sort of encampment about ten football fields away, if the orange light and teeny-weeny flames were anything to go by. Seeing as how there was nothing but rock and sand everywhere else, he figured it was as good a direction as any to take this weird dream. Taking off at a reasonable pace, his wariness gradually got bigger when his eye began to spot people walking to and fro between the dome-like huts. He couldn't make out much about them aside from the fact that their clothes were desert colors and they carried some sort of melee weapons. It was only when he reached one hundred yards that he was close enough to recognize them and get the vital clue about where he is.

The people were Sand People.

The planet was Tatooine.

And he was beginning to think he needed some serious therapy if **this** place had worked its way into his dreams.

Not knowing just how interactive this dream was and not being a big fan of pain or danger, he decided to hit the dirt and hug the ground like there's no tomorrow. From what he could tell of the movements of the Sand People, they hadn't noticed him yet but it made him wonder what their purpose in his dream was. After all, even though this was just a dream, most dreams have a certain plot to them, a certain sequence of events, but so far he couldn't figure out what plot would need Sand People in them. His question was soon answered when someone he knew all too well emerged from one of the tents and made his intentions towards the Tusken Raiders clear. With the familiar snap and hiss of an ignited lightsaber, one Anakin Skywalker slew both of the Sand People that had been posted as guards around the hut he had come out of. However what caught his attention the most though was the look on Anakin's face because it was a look of unrestrained fury and grief.

_What happened to him? What did this to him?_ He thought as he watched Skywalker cut down Sand Person after Sand Person.

He wasn't sure what the point of it all was, but he knew that no good could come of Dream Anakin tapping into the Dark Side like this. He knew all too well what a mistake it was to let the darkness hold sway over your actions and there was no way he was going to let a friend get lost in the darkness. Jumping to his feet, he charged the Tusken Raider encampment as fast as he possibly could. As soon as he was within arm's reach of Anakin, he reached out intent on restraining the rampaging Padawan from behind so he could try to cool things down. However he soon found out that he had about as much chance of putting a stop to the massacre around him as a Jawa had of selling quality merchandise. Instead of contact between two solid thing, his hand passed through Anakin's form as though he was a ghost or Anakin was making it impossible for him to stop the slaughter with action.

That left him only words to use to dissuade his friend from continuing his rampage.

"**ANAKIN!** Stop this! Whatever has you **pissed** off isn't worth the **price** you're going to have to pay!" He yelled in order to make sure that he'd be heard, "Listen to me!"

Skywalker, however, didn't listen to a word of it and continued to slaughter any Sand Person he came across with unrestrained fury. As he tried to figure out something else to say or do in order to stop his friend's journey into darkness, Xander noticed that some of the Sand People's masks had been irreparably damaged. Looking at them, he felt his curiosity well up within him and he was compelled to kneel down so that he could find out what they truly looked like beneath their bandages. As if in answer to his inner question, gust of desert wind blew through the area, blowing the charred rags away from the face of the Tusken Raider, revealing the face. The face he saw though was not some shriveled up desert aged alien but rather that of Jedi Master Drallig, with whom he had sparred with occasionally in the gym of the Temple. Shocked beyond words, Xander couldn't help but look at the other dead bodies spread out before him and, as though it was torturing him, the wind continued to show faces of Jedi he knew in various facial contortions of death. Serra Keto, Master Jurokk, Jocasta Nu and many others were revealed to be the 'Sand People' being cut down by Anakin. He also noticed peripherally that the melee weapons that had been wielded by the fallen warriors against Anakin had transformed into destroyed lightsabers.

_How--? What does…what does this mean?!_ He thought with greater and greater levels of shock as wishing that what he was seeing was just a harmless nightmare.

In the core of his being, though, he knew, just as he had in the Temple prior to Master Shaak Ti telling him to go to the communications room that this was no nightmare, but a vision of things to come. Nevertheless his mind rebelled at the idea of his friend committing such atrocities even under the throes of rage and grief. He **knew** Anakin! Maybe not as well as Buffy or Willow back home, but certainly well enough to know what the Padawan was capable of.

It was as he tried to cope with the emotions he noticed that a foreboding silence had replaced the inhuman cries of the Sand People. Looking up, he saw that Anakin had apparently run out of Sand People to kill and was now simply standing amidst the carnage with his blue lightsaber still ignited. With the main action scene of the nightmare/vision now over, a corner of his mind wondered what new and potentially disturbing turn things would take. He didn't have long to wait as Anakin turned around and, in a move contrary to what had happened before, looked right at the shaken green Padawan. He made no move after that, the Padawan Learner of Obi-wan Kenobi merely stood there, staying immobile and panting with the exertion of what he had just done. Now much closer and looking face to face with his friend, he could see the fury in the eyes of the formerly fun loving carefree Force user and it scared him. The rage he saw in those eyes was unmatched by anything he had ever seen before and, considering the number of people he had pissed off over the years, that was saying something. For what seemed like hours, although they were probably only minutes, neither of them moved but rather looked at one another silently.

It was then that an unusual sound began to mix with Anakin's heavy breathing, a sound greatly muffled, but still quite detectable to his ears. Unable **not** to listen to the noise he heard, it grow louder and louder until it was the dominant sound rather than the normal human heavy breathing he'd heard up until then. With the new sound's dominance achieved, he now recognized it and could not restrain the shiver of fear that went up and down his body.

It was the sound of a hospital respirator, a forced air unit, taking in air from one end before forcing it someplace else. 'Whoo-Khhhhsss'

All at once the sound seemed to come from Anakin, but at the same time he thought the sound was being carried on the desert winds from some other location. It was as the sounds of a respirator completely replaced the human breathing that had previously been coming from Anakin Skywalker that he watched blue lightsaber in his hand darken to black, like a turned off light bulb, only to return with a crimson glow that was all too familiar. Throughout the history of the Jedi Order there were a set number of colors that Jedi lightsabers often took on and sometimes those colors signified a rank or role of some kind. However there was one color that no Jedi ever used when constructing their lightsaber, for it was the color of their opposites, the wielders of the Dark Side, the Sith.

Now while some people who knew him might accuse him of being somewhat slow on the uptake, even he knew what the sequence of events in front of him meant.

Whatever had happened on this world that provoked Anakin to slaughter an entire tribe of Sand People had either caused or contributed to the young man falling to the Dark Side of the Force and becoming Sith.

So it was with no little bit of fear and anxiety that he watched the former Jedi before him raise his crimson lightsaber up into a strong offensive stance and say a single word. A name.

"Alexander."

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_**The Shinigami, Bridge, Ten Minutes Later**_

"So how mad do you think Master Windu is going to be when we touch down?" Erica asked from her place in the pilot's seat.

"I think the best Xan can hope for is that they hold him back from becoming a Knight for ten years **AND** make him clean the refreshers **every** day of those years." Rreya said from the navigator's seat looking utterly bored, "After all, he went off on his own on a mission without the approval of the High Council **AND** tapped deep into the Dark Side of the Force. It's gonna take some serious persuading and groveling to make them take outright expulsion from the Order off the table."

"I suppose." Erica stated sounding genuinely sad for her Master's fate.

"But hey! Stranger things have happened and I'm sure that his teachers will go easy on him." Rreya said in an attempt to reassure the H.R.D and lighten the mood, "I'll never say it to his face, but he really is one of the best Padawans at the Temple. No way are they gonna let talent like that slip through their fingers over a first time offense. He's just going to have to watch his step from here on out."

As soon as the words finished leaving her mouth, the door to the bridge opened revealing, much to their surprise, the topic of their discussion. Dressed in hastily put on Padawan garb, he looked like he was completely on edge making both females wonder if some sort of intruder was on board. While they didn't really believe that was the case, since none of the ship's systems indicated this, both knew that ship security devices could be circumvented. Thus they waited for him to voice the reason for his agitated state in the hopes that they could then understand and do something about it.

"Turn this ship around. Plot a course for Tatooine!" He commanded in a tone that would not be denied.

While Erica, ever the loyal H.R.D, did as she was told and altered the course of the ship to take them to the desert planet, Rreya decided she wanted more info before she got dragged into another one of Xander's adventures.

"What's going on Xander Windu? Why are we going to that ball of sand and rock?" She asked, not understanding what could be so important about the planet that would warrant a change in course.

"We need to get to Tatooine as soon as possible. We need to prevent a shatter point from happening." Xander replied as he sat down behind the communications console, "The fate of the entire Republic may depend on us preventing it."

"Oh c'mon! 'The fate of the entire Republic'? You're talkin' crazy Xander." Rreya said sounding like she thought the 'son' of Yoda had finally lost it, "That planet is about as important to the Republic as hair is to a Twi'lek. No way anything happening there could make that big of a splash."

"You're wrong. There is one important connection the Republic has with Tatooine and his name is Anakin Skywalker." Xander stated with conviction, "I don't know how it happens, but if we don't pull a last minute save and soon, the Jedi Order and the Republic are going to go belly up and fall to the Sith."

This shut the crimson female Twi'lek up completely for five minutes before she rose from her seat and strode towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Erica asked without looking away from the console in front of her.

"I may not be much of a mechanic but I'm gonna see if I can get some extra speed out of the engines." Rreya said with an oddly serious tone in her voice.

"You mean you actually believe me?" Xander asked with a trace of humor entering his otherwise serious voice.

"Let's just say that your last prediction came true and I want to see if this next one does as well." Rreya replied as she opened the door and began to walk through, "Besides which, if you're wrong we're going to need a fast ship to avoid getting our asses kicked by the Council."

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	10. A Trip, A Struggle Against Fate

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the copyrighted material shown herein. They belong only to their creators and associated companies. I make no profit off of this whatsoever.

Note: This is just a heads up to you Star Wars fans. I will not be including any material after the novel Vision of the Future at all. I don't know if I will ever get that far with my version of the Star Wars universe but if I do I will not be using any of the plots, information or characters that showed up after that. I never liked it when they killed off Chewbacca, introduced the Yuuzhan Vong, killed Mara Jade or had Jacen Solo turn to the Dark Side. So I will treat everything that came after the mentioned novel above as though it never existed. If people inquire enough about who the mysterious enemy is that was mentioned in previous novels I'm sure I can come up with something. After all there are no shortage of space faring threats in the Sci-fi world that I could substitute for the Yuuzhan Vong.

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_**Dooku's Ship, En Route to Geonosis, One Hour Later**_

_Good. Very __**good**_Dooku thought as he watched the video recording of young Xander's first venture into the Dark Side of the Force, _Perhaps __**too**__ good, though._

He had been reviewing the information he'd received from Jango regarding the young Padawan's little rescue mission to Ord Mantell. For the most part things had gone as he had expected they would but there had been a few surprises that he had not anticipated. The first was young Xander finding and wearing genuine Mandalorian armor as well as weapons commonly used by the warrior race. The bounty hunter had been unable to determine who had originally owned the armor or what clan it was from, but the 'son' of Master Yoda had used it to remarkable effect. With surprising success, he had managed to create a name of sorts for 'Slade Ordo' on Ord Mantell with stories of the soldier for hire already spreading in the criminal underworld. Fett had even remarked that, aside from being careless with regards to one of Davros' men watching the room's window, the boy had done remarkably well. There was also a hint of almost respect in Jango's voice when the spoke via holo-transmitter, but this of course was overshadowed by the Mandalorian's hatred of Jedi in general. Understandable, considering that many of his comrades had been slain by members of the Order, but that even a trace of respect had found its way into his voice was impressive. However what both pleased him and concerned him was that while the video recording taken from the hidden surveillance devices placed in Davros' headquarters had shown a clear use of the Dark Side it had been controlled usage. Shattering his restraints, using them as projectile weapons, surgically destroying a number of blasters AND sealing the criminal scum in the room were not actions of a person overcome with rage or grief.

Generally when someone first tapped into the Dark Side, their mind is a maelstrom of anger, aggression and hatred that made it extremely difficult to focus on doing anything complicated. Brute force application was usually the most common way a Force adept expressed their tapping into the Dark Side and, while some of the Padawan's actions had employed it that way, there was also evidence of a measure of control. It made him pause in his plans to turn the young Learner to the Dark Side to become his new apprentice as well as his tool to overthrow his Master. It would have been so much easier to draw the youth over to the Darkness if the boy was unable to control his emotions at all, but if Master Windu's young lightsaber apprentice could retain this much control consistently, it could prove difficult. He would have to shatter that control, make the boy give into his darker emotions, and then be there to show the young man the folly of walking the path of a Jedi. It would require some revisions to his plans, some planting of evidence in just the right spots during the coming conflict, but Dooku was confident that all would occur as he desired it to.

There was a beeping noise, as sign that someone was trying to contact him through the ship's communications systems, and he growled at his 'do not disturb me' orders being disregarded. Establishing the connection, he saw the droid in charge of piloting the craft appear and made a note to have the automaton dismantled as well as melted down.

"What is it?" he asked with some displeasure in his voice.

"Master Dooku. Hidden satellite number 45 has detected Padawan Xander's craft, the Shinigami, passing within range of its sensors." The droid replied promptly and politely but without further elaboration.

"And?" He prompted, since he did not bother to memorize the location of every covert satellite his Master had deployed.

"Hidden satellite number 45 is stationed on the edge of the Mimban system, sir." Replied the droid as it took no notice of its owner's displeasure, "You instructed me earlier to inform you when the Shinigami reached Coruscant. Given such a drastic deviation of its expected course, I thought it prudent to inform you of the oddity."

_Mimban? That is almost as far away from Coruscant as Ord Mantell._ He thought with surprise as his mind scrambled to explain this change in course, _Where is he going and why?!_

For a few seconds his mind could conceive of nothing that might have prompted the young Padawan to deviate from his expected course. Then, in a flash of clarity, a possibility appeared in his mind but he found it almost impossible to believe that the reasoning he had come up with could be accurate. It was simply too coincidental that his future apprentice could somehow catch wind of his Master's plans.

"List all known planetary systems along the last known course heading of the Shinigami!" Dooku commanded the droid as he prepared to evaluate the systems as they were listed.

"Cularin, Thaere, Falleen, Rodia, Blenjeel, Pii System, Tatooine, Nelvaan, Geonosis, Ryloth and Lamaredd," listed the droid efficiently before falling silent.

He had virtually ignored everything the droid had said after Tatooine as some inner instinct and whispers from the Force told him that that was the destination of his future pupil. It was also too coincidental that that was also where his Master, Lord Sidious, was preparing to lay the first stone in Skywalker's fall to the Dark Side. Was it possible that somehow the boy had received a vision of what awaited Skywalker on his former homeworld? It didn't seem possible, given that the mist of the Dark Side had obscured the vision of more experienced as well as more powerful Jedi. The fools didn't even sense the darkness of his Master when the old man was in the same room as them! So how could it be that a mere Padawan, even with his connection to Masters Yoda and Galia, could see what his seniors could not? The more he thought about it, the more he recalled his inability to discover the origins of the Padawan beyond the disturbance that had made his presence known to all. He had consulted numerous Sith holocrons and tapped into his various agents throughout known space in order to find an answer to the mystery but without success.

_Could some part of the Learner's origin somehow be allowing him to pierce the veil of the Dark Side that hinders the vision of his comrades?_ He thought as he tried to consider other possibilities.

Whatever the reason, his confidence in the young man's destination meant that a choice lay before him and one that he needed to make fast. The first choice would be to inform his Master of the possibility of Padawan Xander interfering with his plans for Skywalker. He was hesitant to do that, since it would most likely lead to Lord Sidious ordering the Padawan's death or at the very least a harmful delaying action. Neither were particularly to his liking, given his own plans for the young one, so it was discarded without hesitation. The next was more favorable since it would hinder his Master's efforts to lure Skywalker to their side and perhaps aide him in gaining Xander's trust in the future. He'd have to be careful, utilize each asset in the right order, but if done properly the boy would consider him a valuable ally and potentially a new friend. This would allow him to slip by the Learner's defenses quite a bit, thus making it easier to tempt the young man with the power of the Dark Side.

_Now all that is required is for me to choose the method in which I will aid young Padawan Xander._ He thought as a smile blossomed on his face, _Fortunately, that part I believe is already in my possession. All that is required is the correct means by which I may pass the information along to him._

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_**A Day and a Half Later, Coming Out of Hyper-space, Tattoine system**_

"We're here." Rreya said as she finished pushing the lever forward taking them out of Hyper-space, "Now what?"

"We touch down outside of Mos Espa. According to what Anakin told me, that's where he grew up and where his mother is most likely to be." Xander replied as he stood up from his seat, fully dressed in Jedi clothes, "If anything could produce the kind of reaction I saw in my dream, it would be if something serious happened to his mother. We start with her."

"Gotcha." Rreya said as she began to pilot the ship towards the outskirts of Mos Espa.

"So what's the plan?" Erica asked from the co-pilot's seat.

"My dream made it very clear that everything's going to happen on Tattoine and that Anakin Skywalker is going to be the most affected by it." Xander replied as he began to examine the sensor readings they were receiving of the surface as well as what lay in the ship's records, "Odds are that it has something to do with his mother, since she's the only person he knows on that oversized sandbox, so we'll go looking for her. Erica and I will be conducting the actual search in the field while the rest of you either stay on or close to the ship itself. Question the locals if you want, see what they know about any trouble brewing, but don't stray too far. Mos Espa might be a bit friendlier than Mos Eisley, but it still has its share of mercenaries and crooks hanging about."

"I gotta stay behind **again**?" Rreya asked from her spot in the pilot's seat, "Why can't Erica be the one minding the ship this time?"

It has irritated her back on Ord Mantell when Xander Windu had ordered her to stay with the ship rather than go with him and Erica to have some fun with the locals. Sure, the reasons he gave her were kinda good: 'I need someone to make sure no one steals the ship' and 'we might need to make a quick getaway'. However the one that she both understood and hated the most, though, was the one where he pointed out that while she was a fellow Jedi in training, she was also a female Twi'lek. Before she'd been able to tear into him about that, he'd pointed out that while he respected her, not everyone in the Republic thought she deserved such respect. It was a common issue with her that, with only a few minor exceptions, most female Twi'leks were seen as property or slaves by the rest of the Republic. Only within the Jedi Order or on a few select smuggling ships were females like her treated well and seen as a person rather than a thing. He had pointed out that having her out and about with him acting as his partner or fellow 'soldier for hire' would distort the image he wanted to present to the mercs on Ord Mantell. They would expect a female Twi'lek to be dressed up like 'Slade Ordo's' whore or arm candy and, given that he was dressed as a Mandalorian, such an entourage would be problematic.

What she didn't understand was why that would be such a problem here, since he was going out as a Jedi this time with a functional combat-level lightsaber and everything. It had been something of a surprise after they'd hyper-jumped out of Coruscant that Windu Jr. had acquired several practice 'sabers and had asked his H.R.D to try and cobble together at least three combat-level lightsabers. Naturally Erica had done what a good little droid would do and immediately went to work with all the tools they'd brought with them, plus a few that had been stored on the transport. By the time they'd finally arrived on Ord Mantell, Xander Windu's sex 'bot had managed to cobble together two with a third a quarter of the way completed.

"Because as long as we're on the edges of civilized society, an independent female Twi'lek in Jedi clothes is going to raise more than a few suspicions among the locals. Plus I need someone to keep an eye on Sarahari and the others." Xander replied as he tucked a remote viewing pad into the inside of his brown robe, "While they aren't going to die anytime soon, none of them are exactly ready to deal with the kind of crowd this place attracts. Your ability to use the Force will give them some extra warning time and some muscle if things get a little nasty."

"Muscle?" She asked before looking down at her toned yet lithe frame then back at him.

"Muscle as in the Force, Bloody Rreya." He replied with a rolling of the eyes at her intentional misunderstanding for the sake of humor.

"Fine!" She said, knowing that he wouldn't budge on his position and partially agreeing that it wouldn't be safe to leave their passengers alone in such an ethically challenged location, "Still, you know Sarahari's gonna be the real one to cause a fuss when she hears you left on a mission like this and didn't take her along. She's so hung up on paying you back for rescuing her, she's not going to like 'you can help me next time' excuse."

"I'll tell her on the way out that you two are going to be my contingency plan in case things go to hell somehow." Xander sighed with exasperation at having to placate an honor-bound Catharian, "That should be 'honorable' enough to make her stay put."

"She's still not going to like it." Rreya muttered before turning to the navigational sensors to find a place on the outside of Mos Espa to put down.

Looking at the map of the area as well as the spot directly ahead on the scanner, she figured they'd be best off putting the ship down at least a half hour's walk from the edge of town. It'd give them enough lead time to put up some kind of defense if someone tried to attack the ship and draw less attention with the locals. She also made sure to put the ship's weapons on standby just in case since she didn't want to be caught unprepared should the local sleazebags decide to get aggressive all of a sudden. True, most of the weapons they'd had installed were meant for ship-to-ship combat, but in her opinion that'd just make them more effective against creeps on speeder bikes or hovercraft.

Ten minutes later they were on the ground and she could see both Erica and Xander walking towards Mos Espa dressed in inconspicuous clothes. That pretty much meant that Xander had his Jedi robe wrapped tightly around him with his hood over his head whereas Erica had pilot clothes on that would allow her to fit into the spaceport easily. Seeing them walk off brought back the feelings she'd had earlier about being left behind while the two of them went off to do the Force knew what. She'd come on this little adventure partially because she'd been bored at the Temple, but also because, in an odd sort of way, she considered the successor to Master Windu a friend. She didn't have many at the Temple, not as many as she claimed to have, and Xander was the only one she could really be herself around. The others were too wrapped up in accepted Learner behavior and had spent so much time in learning the ways of the Force that their sense of humor was all but non-existent. With the kinda-but-not-really apprentice of Master Windu, though, she had found someone that could match her quip for quip and sometimes even manage to beat her at the game of words, so it was safe to say that she'd do what she could to help him when she could and, if something happened that prevented her from doing so, she'd deal with it quickly so she could.

Hearing the door to the cockpit open up, she sensed Sarahari approaching and figured the Catharian was probably going to do a subtle Q&A with her about what Xander Windu had been up to the past couple of years. At first she was just going to be as honest as she could and treat it all like she was talking to a Jedi Master by keeping to the facts with her own commentary rarely coming into the picture.

However it was then that a rather amusing idea entered her head that almost had her grinning like a Nexu.

_Xander Windu is not going to know what hit him!_

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_**Mos Espa, Market District, Thirty Minutes Later, Xander's Perspective**_

Moving along the traffic of speeders, creatures and fellow pedestrians, he moved along the streets of Mos Espa keeping his eye out for his target who he hoped was still alive.

While he had tried to sound like he knew what he was doing back on the ship, Xander was really just playing everything by ear. He knew Anakin had been born and raised on Tattoine. He knew that, aside from some childhood friends, the only real connection the Padawan of Jedi Knight Obi-wan Kenobi was his mother, who was currently owned by a Toydarian named Watto. If they found him they could find Shmi and hopefully learn what was fated to happen to cause her to fall into the hands of the Sand People and eventually have something happen to her to cause Anie to lose it. He didn't know how long he'd have to stick around to keep her safe and prevent the event that would cause Anakin to fall to the Dark Side but, if necessary, he'd buy her off of Watto, toss her on the Shinigami and leave Tattoine behind. It'd be the quickest and most assured way of protecting the woman so that nothing tragic befell her that might push Skywalker's temper through the roof. However, if life had taught him anything, it was that life rarely did you favors like that and liked tricking you into thinking it did just to see the look on your face when you found out it had lied to you. Still, with Erica by his side and Rreya manning the getaway vehicle, he had hope that they'd be able to make it through this more or less unscathed.

All about him he could see people from various walks of life, ranging from slaves to mercenaries he recalled hearing about from Knights that had been in the field recently. Fortunately for him the whole hooded robe thing was common enough throughout the Republic and elsewhere that none of them had pegged him as a Jedi just yet. However he knew that all it would take would be a single glimpse of the lightsaber that Erica had made him to change that and in the process make their job a **lot** harder. While most denizens of the criminal underworld caved quicker than Willy at the sight of a Jedi, others considered bagging one to be a major feather in their caps. It made it easier to charge their employers triple what they used to and afterword got around about them beating or even killing a Jedi, the employers were all too willing to pay. So he made sure that while his robe was wrapped securely enough to keep his Jedi clothes from being seen it wasn't so tight as to make the general shape of his lightsaber visible to others.

It took them a while but eventually they spotted a Toydarian that matched the description Anakin had given him once, but it looked like the former salvage businessman had fallen on hard times. Gone was his shop and back lot where a boy had worked hard only to later be found by one Qui-gon Jin and now all that the flying blue alien had was a small stall along with some half decent junk lying about. Now it looked like the being hadn't shaved in two weeks and not bathed properly in four weeks and that made for a very unpleasant odor. However this Toydarian had the info they needed so there was nothing else to do but breath through his mouth and get through the whole experience as quickly as possible.

It took the flying rodent less than a minute to see him and Erica approaching his stall and, after a brief once over, a suspicious look settled on the alien's face.

"What can I do for you, outlander?" Watto asked with a big of a growl showing that he didn't trust them one bit.

"We're hoping we could speak with Shmi Skywalker." He replied keeping his voice a little lower than normal just as a precaution, "We were told that you are her owner."

"What d'ya want that old human for?" Watto asked sounding both curious and dismissive at the thought of the mother of Anakin Skywalker.

"It's a personal matter. A friend of mine asked me to look in on her if I was ever passing by Tattoine." He replied, mentally wincing a bit as he knew that it was a general rule that Jedi didn't lie back at the temple, but a little white one was necessary at times.

"Well she's not here, so go away!" Watto yelled since he believed that digging further for more info wasn't worth it, "I'm tryin' to run a business here!"

"What if we were to offer you something in exchange for the information?" He asked as he nodded towards Erica.

Just as they'd planned out earlier, she took two steps forward and dropped a gold chain onto the barrel that the Toydarian had been working on. It had been discussed on their way there that they might need something to barter or trade with if they wanted to get anywhere in finding Shmi if Watto turned up dead or just out to be a dead end. It had been then that he'd inspected the shiny parts of the outfit Davros had shoved Erica into and hit upon an idea. It had taken some time and a few tests, but he'd been able to confirm that the metallic parts of the outfit were indeed gold. While not quite as valuable as it was back on Earth, it did fetch a decent price on the open market. The single chain of gold Erica had dropped was worth about six hundred and fifty Republic credits if sold to the right fence. He had another longer chain and Erica had half a metal bikini bottom in her pocket in case they needed to sweeten the pot for Watto. The rest of their bargaining chips were back at the ship since even he knew how foolish it'd be to walk around Mos Espa with all of that in his pockets.

"Hmmmm. I do not have her anymore." Watto said in response to the inquiry with both of his customers knowing he was referring to Shmi, "After that pod race ten years ago, I lost almost everything. Then to make ends meet I had to sell her or risk going completely broke."

"Who did you sell her to?" He asked, knowing before he even said anything that the Toydarian was going to feign forgetfulness on this in the hopes of getting another bribe.

"Hmmm. Hard to say. It was three years ago and so much has happened since then." Watto said doing a very bad job of sounding like a high roller, "Another piece of gold might make me remember."

Nodding towards Erica she took out the piece of the golden bikini bottom she'd awoken in Davros' arena wearing and looked quite glad to be rid of the thing. He didn't know if it was possible for a H.R.D to have a fashion sense or anything, but it was clear she had been disgusted by what she'd been forced to wear by Davros. Putting it on the same barrel as the golden chain from earlier, Watto's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets at the sight. Right then and there the Toydarian had probably decided to tell them whatever they wanted to know.

"I sold her to a moisture farmer named Lars…at least I think it was Lars…" Watto said with a mix of uncertainty and faded memory, "Owns a patch of sand out past Mos Eisley I think. I heard he freed her and married her."

"Do you the co-ordinates of the farm?" He asked, hoping that they wouldn't have to scour the entire area around Mos Eisley for one moisture farm out of who knew how many.

"Sure, sure! Let's go take a look at my records." Watto said before flapping himself into the air and indicating that the two should follow him, "I make it a standard part of my business to know as much about who I am dealing with as possible."

It was then that he saw that Watto had a little more than just the stall but it wasn't much more. It looked like the room had originally been intended as some kind of tool shed or something, but had been lazily converted into an office/store. Watching as the winged alien flew over the desk before landing in the chair behind it, Xander saw what had to have been a virtual antique as far as computers worked. Still it looked to be in half decent condition seeing as how the Toydarian only had to smack it twice and curse once in order to get the info he wanted out of it.

"Here it is. Kleig Lars, moisture farmer, and his location outside of Mos Eisley." Watto said, handing over a data card.

Taking it out of the inside of his robe, he knew that Watto had caught a peek of his Jedi clothes but in the end it wouldn't matter. The merchant of junk had been paid for his services and, after his last experience with a Jedi, the schemer should know enough not to mess with one. Putting the data card in the screen quickly revealed a map of Mos Eisley and the surrounding areas before a crosshairs appeared, moved, then settled on a specific point. It was an area south east of Mos Eisley near the Mesric Plateau. It looked about right and some of the notations on the map did indicate that the area was right for moisture farmers to make some kind of living. Removing the data card he placed both back into an inner pocket of his robe before re-securing the robe to hide his Jedi clothes from those milling about outside.

"This looks to be exactly what I need." He said before taking the longer golden chain out of his pocket and dropping it on the desk, "Good doing business with you, Watto."

"S-sure, sure, come back anytime!" Watto managed to get out, sounding distinctly uneasy in the presence of a Jedi.

With that he and Erica left the office and began to make their way back to the Shinigami. With the info Watto provided they were on the right path to finding Shmi and since she wasn't a slave anymore there wouldn't be some kind of explosive hidden in her body. He hoped that he wouldn't have to force her to leave her husband and Tatooine but with everything that was at stake he couldn't afford not to do everything he could.

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_**The Lars Farm, One Hour Later, Erica's Point of View**_

_Looks like we made a little noise._ Erica thought as she watched a man and a woman climb up the stairs that led to a lower level, _Better put on my 'I want to be your friend' face, as Master described it._

Neither the man nor the woman, both of them in their mid-to-late twenties, appeared to be armed, but she made sure to keep her hands close to the holsters holding her own personal blasters. She had them set to stun, wouldn't up the power until they ran into Sand People, but it would be enough to protect her Master should these moisture farmers try anything. Not that it was likely they could do anything against a Padawan like her Master given how skilled he was thanks to the Jedi Masters he had as teachers. Still, she was unwilling to take any chances with someone so precious to her and so she watched the body language of those approaching for any sign of hostility.

"Is there something we can do for you strangers?" The man asked somewhat hesitantly while subconsciously placing himself in such a way so as to provide some protection for the woman.

"Yes. I am Jedi Knight Xander and this is Captain Erica Durance of the transport ship Shinigami. We're here looking for Shmi Skywalker." He replied, trying to sound like Master Windu during the opening negotiations on Muunilinst, "May we speak with her?"

This caused the two humans to look at one another and, based on the body language she was observing, it was clear that something had happened. Were they too late? No. Her Master's vision concerning Sarahari and her charges had given them plenty of time to get there to prevent it and, thus, logic dictated that his vision regarding Shmi would also have been sent with time to prevent it from coming to pass. Besides which, she knew for a fact that between her, Rreya and Xander they had managed to push the Shinigami's engines near to the breaking point in order to get to Tatooine as soon as possible. Looking out of the corner of her eyes, she could see that that her Master also had picked up on this and so she chose to let him continue to control the situation.

"Has something happened?" Xander asked as gently as he could.

"I think it might be best if you spoke with my father." The man said before he began to lead them back down the staircase leading to the lower levels of the home.

Walking down, she could see that the structure was rather primitive when compared to the buildings on Ord Mantell or Coruscant but, considering how far they were from the Core Worlds, it wasn't completely surprising. People on the outskirts of civilized space tended to be forced to make do with the leftovers that those further in didn't want or couldn't see the point in keeping. That went for everything from clothes to appliances to transports and there was nothing they could really do unless they were willing to bargain with the Hutts for something. This was generally a bad idea since the Hutts were gangsters with enough muscle at their disposal that they could give you bread crumbs and you'd have no choice but to agree to the deal if you wanted to keep breathing. Still, the Lars family seemed to be making do with what they had and, while not a state of the art, all the equipment she had laid eyes on had been operational.

More or less.

As they reached the bottom level of the home, they spotted an old man in his fifties coming towards them on a twenty year old hover chair. He looked to be in pretty bad shape and he was missing half his right leg from the knee down with signs that it had been amputated recently. Her scans of his bio-signs told her he was in a significant amount of pain despite the prescribed dosages of painkillers in his system as well as a bacta patch on his forehead. Apparently they had arrived late but not too late as she would estimate that the wounds on the elder Lars male to be no more than a week or two old. Bringing up everything she knew about the Sand People, typical desert conditions, the average physiology of an older human female and possible implements of pain that the Tuskan Raiders might have used, she estimated a thirty-nine to forty-seven percent chance Shmi Skywalker was still alive at the moment. Add in a three percent decrease for every day that passed and they had at **MOST** two weeks to find and rescue her before she her lifeforce expired. Being a bit more practical, she put the time they had to do a search and rescue to be more around one week, given that the Sand People were most likely beating her at random while she was their 'guest'. Still, they had time enough to ask the Lars family what they knew about the situation as well as a general direction to start looking in.

"What can I do for the Jedi Order?" Kleig Lars asked with a strained voice adding to the signs that he was in pain.

"I'm looking for Shmi Skywalker. I had a feeling that she was somehow in danger." Xander replied in a professional tone of voice, "Judging from your appearance, I would say that the feelings I experienced came from the Force. Can you tell me what happened?"

For a moment Lars seemed to have doubts about whether or not he should respond but when Kleig's eyes met her Master's, something unperceivable seemed to pass between them and hope took the place of reluctance.

"It was just before dawn around ten days ago, a hunting part of Tusken Raiders, they came out of nowhere. Shmi went out early, like she always did to pick mushrooms that grew off of the moisture vaporators." Kleig replied with a voice that made it clear he was replaying the moment in his mind with painful clarity, "From the tracks we found, she was about halfway home when they took her."

It was obvious that this was a painful experience for the aged man as he took a moment to strengthen his resolve and deal with the pain flaring up in his wounds.

"Those Tuskans walk like men but they're vicious, mindless, monsters!" Kleig said his anger quite evident in his voice, "Thirty of us went out after her, four of us came back, I'd be out there with them still but after I lost my leg I-I just couldn't ride anymore."

"Don't worry, Kleig Lars. Erica and I have been sent here for a purpose and that purpose has become clear to me now." Xander said doing his best to sound resolute as well as reassuring, "Erica and I will survey the site of the abduction first, then start searching in the direction the tracks lead us. I will do all I can to bring Shmi back to you safely."

It was small, almost invisible, but a smile came into existence on Kleig Lars' face and hope now burned in his eyes.

"Owen, show them what they want to see." Kleig asked his son before turning to Beru, "Get the speeder bike ready, Beru."

Both immediately did as they were told and she followed her Master as he walked after Owen to examine the location of the abduction.

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_**Lars Moisture Farm, Western Range, Ten Minutes Later, Xander's Point of View**_

_Well, everything Lars said stands up when you look at the evidence._ Xander thought as he looked at the various footprints in the sand, _Even if the evidence is a bit messed up from other people trampling all over it._

Following the trail backwards until the only trail present was Shmi's, he kept a close eye on the surrounding area for anything suspicious or out of the ordinary. He knew he could be stretching the vision he received a little too far but he just couldn't shake the feeling that this attack by the Sand People did not happen by accident. So, carefully, he did search with Erica, examining every inch they could but it wasn't until they reached the vaporator that Shmi had been picking mushrooms from that they hit paydirt. Next to the vaporator that Shmi had picked the mushrooms from was a clump of machinery that most would have passed over as just being a broken down piece of the machine next to it. After all, it was not unheard of for the machines to fall apart here and there, given the planetary environment. However the slight blackened burn marks around the edges told him a different story and, like he had seen a stack of Twinkie boxes, he pounced on the item. First looking at it from every angle, he could tell immediately that it was only the outer covering of the device that made it look like it belonged to a vaporator. Looking inside of it, however, he could see a level of tech that did **not** belong on Tatooine and pretty much sealed the deal on someone arranging for Shmi to encounter Sand People. While not a tech wiz like Anakin, he could identify some of the components but not what the whole device would have looked like or what it was supposed to do.

"Erica? Come take a look at this." He said motioning his friend over until she was kneeling by his side, "What do you make of this?"

While only metaphorical, he could almost hear the gears spinning in her head as she no doubt consulted a vast database of information, matching every component to something in her files, before she blinked indicating that the search had been completed.

"I am able to positively identify ninety-eight percent of the parts and I think that the intended purpose of the device is to generate some kind of harmonic resonance field. It would be completely invisible to humans and most humanoid species but…" Erica said pausing as though uncertain about what she was about to say, "There is a strong possibility that the Sand People might be able to hear it. Hear it quite well, as a matter of fact."

"Hear it well enough that they might stray from their usual paths to investigate and perhaps…deal with the perceived source?" he asked as a framework for how this must have gone down faded into view inside his head.

"Possibly. I'd need to get this to a lab to work on it." She replied, sounding contemplative, "It looks like someone might have put a micro-detonator inside the housing. No doubt to destroy any evidence that might imply foul play."

"Any chance we might be able to trace the parts or perhaps get a good idea of what it looked like pre-boom?" he asked, hoping that there would be something there to point them in the direction of the mastermind, who he was sure was the Sith Lord, so they could hunt the person down.

"I'm afraid I can't say for certain. The best I can give you is a 'maybe'," she replied before gathering up the pieces of the device and storing them in a metal box.

He figured it'd be something like that. From his point of view, the Sith Lord was someone who liked to manipulate things from the sidelines until it was too late for the good guys to do anything but curse themselves for their complacency. That meant being completely anal about covering ones tracks and leaving nothing that could be traced back to you. Still, he hoped that after a thorough session at the labs back at the Temple, Erica would at the very least be able to narrow down the possibilities from a couple hundred thousand to a handful. From there he could hopefully pass on the investigation to one of his Masters in the hopes that they'll carry on the investigation. He harbored no illusions about what his fate would be once they returned to the Jedi Temple and only hoped that he'd be able to pass something onto the others there before they gave him the boot.

Standing up, he looked about the immediate area and confirmed that all the Sand People tracks indicated that the Tusken Raiders left for the Western Dune Sea. Not entirely surprising, since many tribes of Sand People were said to inhabit that area but it would make it difficult to find the specific ones that they wanted to locate. Hopefully they might encounter some people who know the area or maybe even some Jawas and they'd be able to keep them going in the right direction. First, though, they'd have to get the mystery item back to the ship and then pack all the medicine and med-tools they could carry in order to make sure they could patch Shmi up no matter what condition she was in. After telling Owen Lars that they were done inspecting the sight of the abduction, they headed back to the ship and got what they'd need for their trek into the territory of the Sand People. Erica would be a sniper rifle and her BMFGs while he would carry what he could in terms of medical supplies and such along with the standard Jedi gear. The rest would be strapped to the back of the speeder bike.

"Sarahari? Do you or any of the other girls have any medical training?" He asked, hoping the answer was yes.

"As a member of the volunteer security forces on Naboo, I have basic First Aid and field medical training, but Marael apparently was studying to become a healer before she was kidnapped." Sarahari replied from her position on the ramp of the ship.

"Good. Use what meds are left and be ready to go to work on Shmi when we get back." He said as he judged the weight of the backpack, "I hope she won't be that badly hurt but I want to make sure all the possibilities are covered."

"We will be ready when you return, Xander." Sarahari said seriously before an odd look appeared on her face, "And please, Xander, be careful."

For a moment he was wondering if there wasn't more to what he was seeing and hearing but then shook it off as nonsense. Sarahari was just being her usual cat warrior self and probably didn't want him to die before she could pay off her debt to him. Probably a big dishonor for a Catharian to have the person she owed keel over before everything was balanced out between the ower and the oweee.

"You know me, Sarahari. I'm always careful." He said before he turned and headed for the speeder bike where Erica was already up front bringing the systems online.

Looking at the view, he had to admit that the view was **spectacular** and that the H.R.D definitely made the pilot's outfit look **good**. While she had been standing and walking around it looked pretty much standard issue but now that she was sitting on the leather seat of the speeder bike, bent over the controls, she was comic book vixen worthy. However as she turned her head to look at him, he saw her wink at him and, when combined with the grin on her face, he knew he had to get his head in the game **NOW**. Hopping onto the back, he turned to Kleig Lars who had come up from below to see them off.

"We'll be going now Mr. Lars. I promise you we'll come back with your wife or not at all." He said before focusing on the stretch of desert in front of the bike, "Let's go, Erica."

"Right boss!" she said before the speeder took off and reached its maximum velocity in less than ten seconds.

Needless to say he grabbed onto the first thing he could so he wouldn't fall off the bike and make a spectacle in front of the Lars family. Unfortunately for him that first thing turned out to be Erica as he wrapped his arms around her but, due to the height different between the two of them, the placement was less than…safe…for him. Instead of grabbing her around the waist, that would have been safe, he had instead wrapped his arms around her sizeable chest. Naturally he did what his honest instincts demanded and that was to reposition his arms in a less offensive but the moment he began to moves his arms, the speeder bike accelerated into a turn forcing him to hold on. This happened again and again for him until he began to think that something fishy was going on with the frequency of Erica's turns and speed increases.

"Going a little fast, aren't you, Erica?" he asked as loudly as he could over the wind blowing over them.

"Well we have to find Shmi fast, don't we?" she asked before an ominous sparkle entered her eyes, "Just hang on and don't let go!"

Not good.

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_**Three Days Later, The Edge of the Jundland Wastes, Night**_

"There it is. Just like that mystery tipster said." Xander said as he looked down at the Tusken camp a hundred feet down and five hundred yards away.

"Still think it smells fishy?" Erica asked as she looked intently at the Tusken camp as though taking every last detail in.

"More than ever. It's just a little too convenient that just yesterday when we were beginning to lose the trail, someone hijacks the Shinigami's computer and downloads the precise location of the Tusken camp." He said as he began to come up with some kind of plan of approach, "But it looks like the Tusken camp in my dream and the location is right as well so it's at least worth looking into. You stay up here and keep me covered with the rifle. Don't start shooting unless you have to."

"Right." Erica said as she began to adjust the settings on the long range sniper rifle.

Leaping down to the desert floor, he began his stealthy approach to the Sand People's camp while at the same time considering how they'd come by the info. It had been around noon yesterday when Rreya had come screaming onto the com-line, yelling about how someone was hacking into the ship's computer. Naturally he had inquired as to what was being done to prevent because generally hackers weren't of the good unless they were Willow and then they were just naughty. Sadly, judging from the Catharian growling and cursing, he was hearing they had tried everything they could think of without even a crumb of success to show for it. Then, just as suddenly as it had happened, the hacking stopped, the ship's computer went back to normal and the only change was the addition of a single file to the database. Surprise of surprises, it had turned out to be the location of a Tusken camp as well as the message 'this is where you will find Shmi Skywalker'. Naturally he was suspicious of the information and asked Sarahari to run a back trace on it to try and determine its source, but it was useless. According to the Catharian, the signal had come from an unknown satellite but, right after the hacking had stopped, the orbiting device had self-destructed. That had only made him worry more but, nevertheless, he had decided to see where this tip leaded if for no other reason than to learn more about the mysterious tipster.

It had taken them a day or so to get to the location provided but it looked like the information was accurate because, reaching out through the Force, he could sense a lone human amongst the group of Tusken Raiders that made up the camp. From what he could detect, Shmi was definitely banged up but, so long as he got her to a doctor as soon as possible, she'd be fine. If this had been two weeks later, though, then she'd be too weak and too injured to survive. Keeping a watchful eye on the movements of the Sand People, he slunk towards the hut containing Shmi and, for a moment, it looked like clear sailing. However it was right about then that two…things… ran around the side of the hut and started to play with each other like a pair of puppies. Freezing in spot, he tried to figure out what to do about this little problem. They were right in his path to the rear of the hut where Anakin's mother was being held and would undoubtedly raise the alarm if they spotted him. Thus, he was forced to try a little trick he'd heard described by some Jedi Knights but that he'd never actually tried himself. Basically it involved planting a certain image or impression onto a lower lifeform or animal to make them move out of the way. Sometimes it was making a mother think her cubs were wandering off and other times it was the false idea that something tasty was just over the next hill.

_In my case, though, I'll be putting the idea into their head to go and steal the piece of Krayt dragon meat that's roasting over the fire on the other side of the encampment._ He thought as he reached out with the Force and tried to do what before he'd only been given a description to.

It was odd touching the minds of animals and more than a little difficult to plant what he wanted to inside their heads without messing it up any. Still, by applying the focus gained through many meditation sessions with Master Yoda as well as some improvisation that he'd always had within him, he did his best. However it was only once he watched the two weird dog-like animals scurry towards the cooking piece of meat that he knew his scheme had worked. Still, he waited until they were at the halfway point before he resumed his approach to the hut that contained Shmi just to be on the safe side. Thankfully the rest of the approach was uneventful and, once he was right smack behind it, he reached out with the Force to ascertain if she was alone or if he had caught the Tuskens in the middle of a beating session. He could feel Shmi in there and he could tell that she'd been worked over quite a bit, but he was still firm in his opinion that if he got her out of there right then, she'd make a complete recovery. Doing his best to be thorough, he continued to feel out the interior of the hut to make sure he wouldn't be interrupting anything when he cut his way inside. After four minutes of this, he was satisfied that the only Tuskens in the immediate vicinity were those standing guard outside of the entrance/exit of the hut.

_Okay! Time to make with the silent entrance, the silent exit and hopefully the unnoticed getaway._ He thought as he took the combat lightsaber Erica had made off his belt and aimed it at the side of the hut.

With a pressing of an activation stud, a green blade hissed into existence, piercing one inch into the interior of the hut. Carefully and as quietly as possible, he began to cut himself an entrance into the hut, taking a moment every so often to check with the Force to see if he'd been noticed. By the time the circular hole had been cut he could safely say that the camp was unaware that he was here and that the two guarding the natural entrance/exit were going to be in big trouble an hour from now. Slipping inside, he was disturbed by what he saw but shook that feeling out of himself before proceeding to free the restrained Shmi Skywalker. Her back was not a pretty sight with numerous lacerations there from shoulder to shoulder and only a quarter of them were even partially healed. As she fell into his arms and began to gradually regain consciousness, he could also tell that they had been giving her the bare minimum food and water necessary to keep her alive.

_No doubt to make sure she lives to receive __**all**__ of the punishment they believe she deserves._ He thought as began to look more closely with the Force to see what injuries could wait and what needed tending to right away.

From what he could tell, bandaging the back could be quickly done with bacta patches mixed in here and there. Her left arm needed to be set and then immobilized immediately so that it wouldn't have to be rebroken and reset later once they were back at the Lars farm. So while she was still somewhat out of it, he carefully sought out the fractures and did his best to ease them back into their proper places while using the Force to deaden any pain she might feel as a result. Once he was sure that each bone was aligned properly, he grabbed a few strong pieces of wood and some rags that lay on the ground to complete the immobilization process. By this time, though, despite his efforts to minimize the pain she was experiencing, enough adrenaline and natural pain blockers had been introduced to bring her completely back to consciousness.

"W-who are y-you?" She asked with a scratchy voice that made it clear her last drink hadn't been recent.

"A friend. I'm here to get you out of here." He replied as he began to apply bacta patches to her exposed back, "Stay as silent as you can. I need to stabilize your condition before I can get you out of here."

"You're a J-Jedi?" She asked, taking in his clothes as well as the lightsaber on his belt.

"Yes. A friend of your son." He replied as he took what looked to be the cleanest piece of cloth in the entire hut and began tearing strips.

It took a few moments to completely wrap her torso up to his satisfaction but when he was done he was sure that any new bleeding would be stemmed and the bacta patches kept in place. Just to be on the safe side, though, he injected some mild sedatives into her just to make sure she didn't suffer needlessly. He could already tell that she wouldn't be walking under her own power by the way she felt in the Force. Strong enough to survive the trip back to the Lars farm was one thing, but strong enough to sneak away from the Tusken camp under her own power was quite another. Gently picking her up in his arms, he softly crept back to his hole in the wall and with great care stepped through it grateful that he'd made it large enough to fit two people through. Once out, he began to make his way back in the direction of the speeder bike and Erica, hoping repeatedly in his mind that none of the Sand People would take the time to look in this particular direction.

His hopes were met up until the thirty or forty yard mark from the edge of the Tusken camp.

"RRRRAAAGGHHHHHHH!!! HEGH, HEGH, HEGH!!!" Came the bellows from a Tusken who'd spotted him, soon to be mixed with several others.

Deciding the time for a stealthy retreat was gone, he picked up the pace as much as he could without jostling Shmi Skywalker too much. It was five seconds and fifteen yards later that he saw a bolt of red energy shoot from an elevated position in the direction of the Tusken camp. Obviously Erica had picked up on the fact that he'd been spotted and was beginning to lay down cover fire as best she could. He hoped she would be aiming to wound the Sand People rather than kill them, but knew that with his life on the line, her programming would lean more towards assuring his safety **completely**. However, as the Force warned him to veer to the left **immediately,** he knew that even if she went for the kill shot with each one and fired as quickly as possible, he'd still have his retreat cut out for him. He then hit upon an idea to give him a better chance at escaping in one piece but the only difficulty was that he wasn't sure he had the chops with the Force to pull it off. Already he was using it to evade the shots from behind, to run as quickly as he could in the sand and cushion Shmi as much as possible during abrupt changes in direction. Given that speed on foot was pretty much wasted, though, he decided to rechannel the energy he had given his legs through the Force to something a bit more productive.

_Here's hoping this works!_ He thought before he channeled the Force like a snow blower behind him as hard as well as wide as he could.

Without even looking he knew it had as the sand behind him was blown into the air to form what must have looked like a mini sand tsunami. It wasn't very wide, only six feet from one end to another with a maximum height of ten feet, but it was enough to obscure him from the sight of the Tusken's shooting at him. Didn't stop them from trying though, but thankfully their primitive rifles didn't have very good or consistent range, meaning the farther away he got the better off he was. He could still see the odd flash of crimson energy streaking in the direction of the Tusken's but, after a while it stopped, most likely meaning that Erica judged him beyond the effective range of enemy fire. While he didn't let up on either using the Force to anticipate enemy fire or anything else, he did allow himself a mental sigh of relief. First phase of the mission: accomplished!

_Now all we need to do is see to the rest of her injuries and keep her alive until we can get her back to Sarahari and Marael at the Lars farm._ He thought with a smile as things began to look up, _With a straight line vector back, it shouldn't take more than a day to make it there._

He wasn't about to tempt fate though and say that it was clear sailing from here on out, but he figured it couldn't hurt to consider the toughest part of the mission over with.

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_**A Cliff Nearby**_

_So the little Jedi pup thinks he can interfere with one of my contracts, does he?_ She thought as she watched the green skinned Padawan through her macro-binoculars scurry along with his precious cargo, _Looks like I'll get to have a bit of fun on this job after all._

It had started tempting enough when she'd been approached by Count Dooku of Serenno about this job but not for the reason most people would think. It had been more because she had toyed with the idea of killing Dooku even though she sensed he was not quite the same as the Jedi she so hated. However the temptation to kill him had not yet been strong enough to compel her to kill him just yet. Instead, she listened as he outlined the objectives of her mission: plant a device on a moisture vaporator, shadow the Tusken Raiders when they abduct a woman and insure that the woman survived until a specific Jedi Padawan arrived. If it hadn't been for the promised anguish, grief and misery she'd been told the specified Jedi Padawan would feel soon after his arrival, she would have turned down the job. As it was, she both hated this newcomer for depriving her of Skywalker's maelstrom of grief but at the same time almost felt grateful. After all, if things had gone as Dooku had suspected, they would she'd have to camp out here for another two weeks while occasionally spooking the Tuskens into sending their warriors out into the desert. Now, though, she could enjoy hunting a Padawan Jedi and his female companion at her leisure before killing them all, including the woman that was supposed to have hurt Padawan Skywalker so much. It'd be fun!

_Especially if he's __**her**__ Padawan!_ She thought as a long lived hatred crackled in her blood, _If __**she**__ taught him, he just might be a challenge and the victory will be all the sweeter!_

With that though, she put the macro-binoculars back on her belt and walked towards her customized swoop bike.

The Jedi hunt was on once more!


	11. Predator and Prey

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the copyrighted materials contained herein

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the copyrighted materials contained herein. They are the rightful property of their individual creators and associated companies. I make no money off of this nor do I expect to in the future. I write this only for my own personal enjoyment as well as that of my readers.

Note 1: Yes I know that having Xander use Force Push with his feet like that is a bit out of the ordinary but I think it's a perfectly feasible way to use the Force ability. While it is true that the majority of the people use this technique via their hands there is nothing in what I've read to imply it couldn't be done with a person's feet. Plus I needed to give him at least one hat trick in order to stay alive against Aurra Sing.

Note 2: I know that according to the movie Shmi Skywalker had been gone for a month by the time that Anakin and Shmi showed up. The primary reason I cut it a little shorter is because I was running out of ways to fill the space in between and didn't want to put meaningless filler in there. My only official excuse would be that we don't know precisely what constitutes a month on Tattoine. Here on good ole Earth a month ranges between twenty-eight days and thirty-one days. So please don't flame me too much for this little discrepancy or the one above.

Now on with the **SHOW**…

&

_**Twelve Hours Later, A Small Rocky Cave, Erica's P.O.V**_

"So what's the verdict?" Xander asked from where he was redressing Shmi's wounds.

"Just as I'd thought, I'm afraid. We were pushing the engines too hard taking that shortcut back to the Lars farm." She replied as she continued to perform what repairs and maintenance she could, "The speeder bike still works and should still be able to get us back to the farm but it'll take longer than a day. Based on the level of the wear and tear I'm seeing, we'll have to reduce our speed to about half the bike's maxmimum output and that means at least ten days to get back to the farm."

"I'm not sure Shmi can last that long." Her Master said with Shmi listening silently to their conversation, "We're buying her time with the medicine and bacta patches we brought with us but she needs real medical care if she's to make a full recovery."

"Then the only choice is for you to go ahead on the speeder bike with Shmi and leave me behind." She said stating clearly that she'd be okay with that, "With one less person on the bike and some of the supplies left behind you should be able to get to the Lars farm in less than three days."

"I'm not leaving you behind. I'm still not convinced we've given those Tusken Raiders the slip." Xander stated firmly as he finished with tending to the mother of Anakin Skywalker, "You're good Erica but even you could be overwhelmed by superior numbers."

"Please! If they were battle droids you'd be right but we're talking about Sand People." She said dismissively in an effort to downplay the risk, "I saw how good they are with their rifles. Most of the shots went nowhere near you and those that might've hit you dodged. If they come after me, I'll handle them easily."

"If you see them coming, that is. They know this area like the back of their hand." Xander pointed out, not willing to give up just yet, "All it'd take is one well placed shot to kill you and I'd kinda hate to go back to your creator and say 'can ya fix her for me?'."

"I'm sure father wouldn't be too upset." She said in an effort to remove that as a point against her proposal, "I'm sure if you explain what happened, he won't mind doing some repairs."

For a moment it looked like he was genuinely considering her offer but then the walls of determination began to rise up.

"I'll consider it only as a last resort." Her Master stated in a tone that would not be convinced otherwise, "If Shmi takes a turn for the worse then I'll do it but until then no one gets left behind. Okay?"

She sighed as she realized that her Master was in one of **those** moods and unless one of the members of the Jedi High Council appeared to stare him down, nothing would change his mind. So, reluctantly, she nodded and moved to take up a guard position at the mouth of the cave. While she didn't expect trouble, her eyes were sharp enough that she'd be able to spot it coming sooner than Xander could and, with the sniper rifle in arms reach, she'd be able to neutralize it faster as well. Master had been right about the possibility that the Sand People were still after them and how well the Tusken Raiders knew the region. Considering the amount of dirt the speeder bike displaced thanks to its repuslor lifts and the speed they were going, those bandage heads would have to be blind to be unable to follow them. However with the speed they had used in making their escape and the fact that they'd only stopped at the cave about an hour ago, she was confident that it'd be at least a day or so before they saw a Sand Person from the encampment they fled from. However, there was more than one group of Sand People out there and with no one really knowing their migration patterns, there was no way of knowing if they'd bump into a large tribe of them.

Even as she kept a close watch on the sand dunes outside along with all the rocky outcroppings, she went through scenario after scenario in order to be fully prepared for what might happen. With her status as a H.R.D, she was able to process information at a much higher rate than most humanoids and as such she had already half completed her review of possibilities by the third pass of the terrain. Most of them were favorable since the large amount of space meant that the odds of stumbling across a traveling group of Sand People were actually rather low. However, there was still an uncomfortable possibility that somehow they'd encounter Tusken Raiders or something worse that she'd been considering for some time now. If her Master was correct and the Sand People had been provoked by some unknown person into attacking and then abducting Shmi Skywalker, then it was possible that they were still in the area. The mercenary might even be watching them right now even though her acute eyesight couldn't spot them at all. According to her files on the better mercenaries currently available, they were not so lax in their duties that they'd abstain from seeing the job through to completion. After all, if they only did a half-assed job then there was a good chance that something would come along to mess things up. That was why she suspected that the agent responsible for Shmi's current condition was still on Tatooine and may very well be nearby.

Looking over at Xander, she could tell that he thought that was the likely scenario as well and was currently attempting to locate the criminal via the Force.

While the odds of someone being able to sneak past both her H.R.D senses and a skilled Padawan Learner were slim, it was not impossible. That was why she was being 'anal', as Xander would put it, when it came to examining every sand dune and rock formation visible to both her eyes as well as her sensors. She personally knew of a number of different ways that a well equipped operative could approach this location undetected. Fortunately she also knew the signs that those means inevitably left behind as the user disrupted the natural environment of an area. She was confident that she'd be able to spot the mercenary before he or she could do any serious harm to either Master or Shmi Skywalker. The question, however, would be just how much effort would this agent put into fulfilling his/her contract and would they be able to endure those efforts all the way to the Lars farm. She was tempted to contact Rreya and have the Twi'lek bring the Shinigami to this location but after their craft had been so thoroughly hacked, she considered the ship a potential threat. While Rreya and Sarahari both claimed that the only change to the ship's computer was a single file addition to the database, there was a strong possibility that something else might have been left behind. For all they knew, the agent behind the Sand People abducting Shmi could have been the one to tip them off and the second they took of with Shmi, the entire craft could explode. While she didn't pretend to know why a mercenary would play with his/her prey like that, it was not unheard of.

For a moment she wished that she had had the foresight to bring more than medical supplies with them. A couple of remote operated thermal detonators or even a cobbled together vid-cam would've allowed her to erect a more secure perimeter. As it was, only the fact that the cave was part of a tower of stone made the odds of an attack from above unlikely. As for the sides, she had already taken a few empty capsules of medicine and broken it into little pieces before scattering them liberally on either side of the crude stone monolith. While the sandy surface would muffle the sound of feet crunching on glass a bit, her sensitive hearing would be able to pick the noise up nonetheless.

Even now she could hear her Master's heart rate rising a bit, indicating that he was increasing the amount of effort he was putting into feeling out the area with the Force. While she had read numerous files on the subject, she still did not have a firm grasp of just what the Force was and how it worked. It did not seem to correspond to known scientifically defined phenomena but, rather, seemed more akin to the various religious beliefs originating from several different worlds. Much of it seemed to be belief-based since she had often heard that a large reason why some Padawan's failed to successfully utilize an ability was because they did not believe they could do it. The other half of the equation seemed centered on the midi-chlorian concentration in the blood of a Jedi, since the level of midi-chlorian's was directly proportional to the strength of a Force user. The more midi-chlorians a Jedi had in their system, the more they could do and the more potent their various abilities were.

_I hope he doesn't push himself too hard._ She thought without disrupting her monitoring of the environment, _He has a nasty habit of doing that when he's not getting the results he wants._

&

_**One Week Later, En Route to the Lars Farm, Xander's P.O.V**_

_She's out there._ He thought as the speeder bike flew across the sand beneath it at half its maximum speed, _I know it. _

How he knew that the person pursuing them was a she rather than a he was a mystery even to him but, somehow, he just knew that the malevolent intent he sensed was female in nature. He had come across it near the end of his exhaustive search of the area near the cave a week ago and he'd kept a Force eye on it ever since. He couldn't pin it down to an exact location or anything, just that it was close by, and it was slowly driving him up the wall not being able to learn more about it. Aside from its hostile intent, he couldn't sense anything else about it and, if it was the agent sent to orchestrate Shmi's death, he knew he'd need every scrap of info he could get his hands on. Any advance intel on what they might be encountering could mean the difference between this rescue mission ending in success or spectacular failure. Considering how things had gone on Ord Mantell, there was no way in **HELL** he was going to screw things up this time!

Still, if Erica's current estimates were accurate, they'd make it to the Lars farm in about three days or so, assuming they didn't run into other problems along the way. While he wasn't a healer, his own diagnosis combined with the H.R.D's estimated that the absolute latest they could wait before getting Shmi expert medical care was five more days. Anything longer than that and the elder Skywalker's chances for a full recovery dropped below forty percent. While the lazy side of his mind said that so long as Shmi was alive and in more or less good condition, it'd be enough to save Anakin from the Dark Side, the realistic part of his soul knew better. Every injury, every scar, every telling mark left on Shmi's body would cause Anakin to blame himself for not being there in person to prevent it. No matter what was said to the young Padawan, the winner of the old Boonta Eve race always expected more of himself than was realistic. Whether this was because of the rumors of a Chosen One prophesy floating around the Temple or just a little boy's lingering belief that Jedi were these flawless pinnacles of goodness, he didn't know. Whatever the reason was, he knew that the closer he could get Shmi to a complete recovery the better the chances were that the future he saw could be averted.

One of the things he'd insisted on two days ago was for both of them to carry as much of the food and medical supplies as possible at all times, even while on the speeder bike. While not something he expected would happen, he had chosen to plan for the worst case scenario that involved a lightning quick abandonment of the speeder bike. While he had the utmost confidence in Erica's way with machines, he also knew how the Harris luck tended to work its way on his chances of success. Besides, if the merc lady out there wanted to keep her job from becoming a complete failure then she'd have to stop them from reaching the Lars farm. That meant that destroying their fastest means of transportation would definitely be a good way to slow them down significantly. Seeing as how most big bads would consider it a bonus if their prey went up with the speeder bike, he figured the mysterious agent would fire a blaster bolt to the bike's fuel cell. For that very reason he kept at least one hand free at all times so he could take hold of his lightsaber as quickly as possible, ignite it and then use it to deflect the blaster bolt. Despite his wish to have both hands free, he needed one to make sure that Shmi stayed on the speeder bike because while she had recovered some of her strength, as it wavered from time to time. It'd be pretty bad if he had to tell Anakin he dropped his mom a couple of times getting back to the Lars farm.

Just as he was about to move onto other thoughts, the whisper of hostile intent he'd always associated with the pursuing agent roared upwards to the level you'd get from the biggest speakers ever made. Immediately he grabbed the lightsaber from his belt and ignited it before allowing the Force to guide his movements towards the left side of the speeder bike. Only these swift movements allowed him to efficiently deflect three bolts of deadly red energy from piercing the fuel cell of the bike. This continued on for a while and, even with Erica expertly executing evasion tactics to try and reduce the chances of them getting hit, he was still pressed pretty hard to deflect every shot. It was ten minutes later when the blaster bolts finally stopped flying and all was reduced to quiet once more.

This was **NOT** an improvement as far as he was concerned.

As long as the shots kept coming, he knew that the enemy couldn't do anything at else but now that the attack had stopped he had to try and predict the next avenue of attack. Would it be blaster fire again? Or would it be something a little more unorthodox? Keeping his lightsaber ignited, he honed his senses both natural and Force related to a fine edge in preparation for handling the next assault.

It was that fine edge though that allowed him to perceive the rapidly approaching danger from ahead. Looking in the direction he sensed the trouble coming from, he could see nothing with the naked eye and that meant only one place it could be coming from and gave him a hint at what it could be.

"Erica!! Abandon bike!!" He yelled before grabbing Shmi around the waist and leapt with all the strength the Force could give him away from the approaching danger.

To the human replica droid's credit, she did not hesitate for one second in obeying his command and together they leapt clear of the speeder bike to a point some twenty feet back. A good thing they did so since, after they landed safely, the ground beneath the still-moving bike exploded violently, turning the vehicle into so much scrap. Seeing this he immediately took up a defensive position near Shmi and was grateful that Erica saw his intent and took up a spot facing the opposite direction. With their means of transportation destroyed and them presumably shaken a bit from this, it would make sense for the merc to make her move now. During what free moments he could find, though, he did what he could to look for a place they could take cover behind. While blaster bolts he could handle, if the enemy fired some kind of rocket propelled explosive at them, there was a chance of Shmi being hurt even if he deflected it with the Force. It took a while since he could only spare glances at random intervals in order to keep his territory under surveillance but he eventually found a rocky outcropping that had a slight overhang at the top. With movements so swift they could only come from the Force, he turned off his lightsaber, hooked it on his belt, scooped up Shmi in his arms and ran as quickly as he could to what he felt was a save place to take cover behind. Erica wasn't that far behind but she was definitely making it clear that the first hostile thing she spotted would get a double dose from her BMFGs.

"See anything?" he asked while looking Shmi over to see if she had been injured or hurt more.

"Nothing. However I believe I have narrowed down the possible locations the blaster fire could have come from to three." Erica replied while keeping her blaster cannons at the ready, "If, as I suspect is the case, the blaster fire was meant to herd us into that minefield then there are only a few spots that would be optimum for such a tactic."

Pulling out the data padd containing a topographical map of the area they were in, he quickly found the area they had to be in based on the direction they'd been traveling in as well as a few landmarks. Holstering one of her blaster cannons, Erica quickly marked three places on the map before taking out her cannon again. Looking at the map, he could see possibility number one was a grouping of rocks that could've doubled as gravestones with the way they jutted out of the ground. If the shooter lay on her stomach while firing those shots, she'd have cover and perfect firing range at the same time. Possibility number two was atop a tall thirty foot tower of stone that allowed for the superiority of an elevated position while at the same time ridding her of any obstructions. Last but not least was a steep decline of sand that led into a small valley of desert sand that, while bare of any cover, would render the shooter nearly impossible to see without getting closer. However they had only a limited amount of time and so he inched his way towards the edge of the cover and carefully inching his head out he looked at each spot carefully.

It turned out he needn't have bothered because the person responsible for their current predicament apparently was through with sneak attacks.

If what his eyes were telling him was true, though, he almost wished she had remained hidden.

He might have been able to maintain a belief that they actually stood a chance if she had remained hidden.

After all, there were not many Jedi who could stand up to and survive an assault by the bounty hunter Aurra Sing.

Most of them were exceptional Knights or Masters.

Too bad he was just a Padawan.

&

_**Approaching Xander's Position, Aurra Sing's P.O.V**_

_His Masters gave taught him well. _Aurra thought as she accelerated towards the piece of rock the foolish Padawan thought could protect him, _Not many could have perceived the mines I placed in their path. Good! It means that this will be more interesting!_

She was about halfway to the place where the rats were hiding when, in a move that surprised her a bit, they actually left their place of safety. The droid took the lead, carrying the peasant woman she'd arranged for the Tusken Raiders to abduct with the young Padawan following close behind with active green lightsaber in hand. This made it a certainty that the young man was indeed a Padawan rather than a Jedi Knight or Master. None of those wiser fools would think to leave a place of safety but a foolish Padawan, perhaps with dreams of proving himself, would be all too foolish. Pulling one of her blasters from its holster, she began fire upon them and, while the first few shots were random, her recollection of the area gave her an idea. Taking more care in placing her shots, she began to herd them once again but this time towards something a little more obvious than a grouping of mines hidden beneath the sand. It didn't take them long to realize what she was doing but it didn't help them any since each time they tried to go in a different direction she modified her own approach so that going in that direction would be tactical suicide.

She could sense the Padawan's waning confidence, feel his frantic search for a solution, and it felt **good**. Not as good perhaps as feeling it from a Knight or a Master, but enough to please her senses as well as desire to prolong things. Again and again she fired her blaster, testing the boy's defenses in some cases while herding the group in others, until they were almost at their destination.

The cliff.

The edge of a rocky cliff and past which there was a drop of over five hundred feet with broken stone fragments littering the bottom. Bringing her swoop bike to a halt just shy of the point where the cliff jutted out from the rest of the terrain to overlook the stony desert floor, she knew she had cut off their escape. With her standing there, any chance of running past her was lost and while the Padawan might be skilled enough to leap off the cliff and cushion his fall, he'd be the only one. The boy was too young to be able to carry another person and brake their fall at the bottom, making three impossible. If they young man had any sense, he'd abandon the two women and save himself but she knew he wouldn't. He had a look about him, a look of a noble warrior, which told her he would never think to leave others behind to save his own skin. The fool was probably still stuck in the dream that Jedi were virtuous warriors of impeccable honor that could not leave an innocent to suffer under any circumstances.

_Guess I'll just have to wake him up then._ She thought with a feral smile as she got off her swoop and said, "You've impressed me, boy. Not only did you manage to save the woman from the Tuskens but you also knew I was following you. Well done!"

Predictably, the young man placed himself in front of both the droid as well as the weak Skywalker woman. Standing in a strong defensive stance, he looked at her with determination in his eyes and a fire that was absent from the other Padawans she'd met. Most Learners that lived to be the age of the boy had all but had the fire extinguished within them and were little more than droids spouting Jedi dogma. This one, this green skinned Padawan, was different somehow and this intrigued her greatly. Stalking carefully towards him, she stretched out with the Force in an effort to get his measure and found him to be quite strong in the Force. Still inexperienced and with much learning left to do, but nonetheless someone who if given enough time could very well one day sit on the High Council. It was as she tried to get a 'taste' of his power that she sensed something that pleased her all the more.

This one had recently tapped into the Dark Side of the Force.

Tapped into it and used it to **kill**.

"Hahahahahahaha! I smell the taint on you boy! The taint of the Dark Side." She said with glee at the idea of a pious wannabe Jedi committing a taboo, "Was it good? Did it make you feel **strong** little boy?"

"It made me feel dirty, if you must know." The Padawan replied in even tones, "Now, did you come here to chat or did you come here to kill us?"

"Well, if you want to skip the small talk that's fine by me." She said genuinely glad that the boy didn't try to talk **her** to death first, "Time to **DIE**!"

With that she ignited one of the lightsabers she kept on her belt and charged the boy, interested in seeing if he'd be worth the effort of serious duel. Starting with an overheard slash, she was pleased when he at least proved that he knew how to use a lightsaber and went on to test his reflexes and reaction time. Swing by swing she gradually increased both the speed and the skill behind her attacks, pushing the Padawan to keep up with her if he didn't want to get cut in half. It was clear that whoever had taught him lightsaber combat had been good teacher because the alternative would be that the kid was a prodigy. It was when she was attacking at a level she usually reserved for newbie Knights that she decided to throw in a few surprises. Expertly maneuvering him into exposing his side, she thrust her hand forward and hit him with a half strength Force push. Like so many enemies beforehand he was launched into the air like a rag doll but, once again, the boy impressed her by managing to at least reorient his body on the way down so that he landed on his feet. Unsteady feet, true, but it was still something that put him higher up on the list of Jedi she'd fought.

"Not bad. I guess they must be grooming you to lead the High Council one day." She said with mock respect since it'd be a cold day on Tattoine before she'd think highly of any Jedi, "Guess they'll have to start from scratch."

"I don't know about being on the High Council but if you plan on killing me, you damned well better be ready to work for it!" The Padawan declared before going on the offensive with trademark moves from Djem So.

The smile on her face only grew as the boy tried to find a hole in her defenses and proved satisfactorily that the young man wasn't all defense. However, his assault was nothing she couldn't handle and every swing, slash or thrust was easily blocked or parried. Still, it meant she could enjoy the fight more and considering how she was likely to get paid only half of the promised sum since Anakin Skywalker wouldn't be around to see his mother die. Still, half-pay and the death of a Padawan was not a bad day's work in her opinion, so she wouldn't be too cross when everything was over with. Putting her hatred of the Jedi into her counterattacks, it was no surprise when she started gaining ground and signs of strain began to appear on the Padawan's face. The Force told her that he was rapidly reaching his limits and, at best, would probably last another five minutes before failing to block an attack. Glancing over the Padawan's shoulder, she could see that his droid hadn't given up her guard position in front of the Skywalker woman and was actually looking for a clear shot with her oversized blasters. However, the hesitation was clear on its face since it no doubt knew that if the timing was off in the slightest a bolt aimed for an enemy with a lightsaber could easily be redirected at an ally.

All of a sudden the boy lashed out with a kick that she easily dodged but it was much to her surprise that she felt the Force slam into her chest, sending her almost all the way to her swoop bike. Winded slightly, she barely managed to break her own fall and roll into a crouched position but her mind was only partially on regaining her footing. The majority of her focus was on the Padawan that had just managed to use Force Strike with his foot to attack her. This was not a typical move for a Jedi, since they almost always used their hands when employing this technique. While not enough to make her consider the boy a threat, it did give her a reason to quit playing with the young man and end the fight before the Padawan got lucky a second time.

With increased focus and determination, she renewed her attacks upon the Padawan, battered his defenses, draining his strength much faster than before. It took only three minutes before she managed to land a strike with her lightsaber and, using his moment of pain to her advantage, reciprocated the attack from earlier with a Force push of her own. It had only been a glancing blow on the young man's right shoulder but it had been enough to distract him and, with that limb injured, both his attacks as well as his defense would be diminished.

The fight was hers!

"You put up a good fight, Padawan, but now is the time to become one with the Force." She said as she stalked forward to deliver the killing stroke.

"YOU WILL NOT HARM MY MASTER!!" Screamed the droid, opening fire with blasters that when used by men usually meant they were compensating for something.

With virtually no difficulty at all, she deflected each bolt of energy sent her way but when a particularly strong blast forced her to grip her lightsaber harder, she decided she'd had enough. With careful angling of her lightsaber, she deflected a blaster bolt so that it landed dangerously close to the young Padawan's arm. This had the desired effect of forcing the droid to cease her assault, lest a deflected blast hit her master and kill him.

"Good droid. You serve your Master well." She said with false praise, "I hope you can take some solace in that you won't have to live very long without him. After his head rolls off the cliff, yours will be right behind it."

Without warning the Force told her to fling herself backwards and it was a good thing she did because deadly green energy struck the ground where she'd been. What surprised her though was that the angle of attack hadn't been from in front of her or behind her or even to the side but rather from directly above. Looking up, she couldn't help but let complete surprise appear on her face when she saw a heavily modified consular-class cruiser flying straight down at her as though it intended to ram into her. However, that was not the case as somehow the person piloting it managed to straighten it out at the last moment pointing its nose, and weapons, at her while giving unintended shade to her prey. What caught her attention next those was the sound of servos incorporated into the areas where the ship-to-ship weapons were attached to the ship itself as the two blaster cannons and single ion cannon adjusted their aim. While she couldn't see into the cockpit, the intentions of the person operating it were clear as well as her chances of completing her assignment. While she might have been prepared to deal with a Padawan and company, taking on an armed transport with her usual arsenal just wasn't going to cut it.

Yanking out a thermal detonator she'd put on her as a precaution, she armed it and threw it at the cockpit before whirling around and leaping onto her swoop. Hearing the explosive detonate, she gunned the engine on her bike and fled the area furious that she had been deprived of both her victory as well as her trophy.

That Padawan would see her again though.

His lightsaber would be hers one day.

This she promised.

&

_**Ten Minutes Later, Outside the Loading Ramp of the Shinigami**_

_**Rreya's P.O.V**_

_Oooohhhh __**yeah!**__ It was definitely worth ignoring Xander Windu's orders! _Rreya thought as she took in the shocked look on the green skinned Padawan's face.

Still, she was relieved on the inside that they had arrived when they did because if the images sent to the bridge by the external cameras were to be believed, her friend had been in pretty dire straits. Still, considering that his opponent had been Aurra Sing, killer of Jedi, she supposed he was either very lucky to have lasted as long as he did or was better with a lightsaber than she'd thought. Judging by the burned sleeve and scorched skin, though, he still had a ways to go before he'd be good enough to win a serious fight with the self-proclaimed bane of the Jedi. The number of Jedi killed by that chalk-skinned bitch was uncertain but enough had been confirmed to make everyone in the order consider her an enemy to be reckoned with. In any case, it'd be just one more thing she'd have to report to the Council when they returned to the Temple. Hopefully they'd consider getting terrorized and brutalized by Aurra Sing sufficient punishment for his little self-given rescue mission.

"Rreya!? What are you doing here!?" Xander asked with surprise mixed with a little annoyance at her amusement.

"Well, we received some unexpected visitors at the Lars farm a couple of hours ago and they wanted to talk to you." She replied, purposefully omitting the names of the visitors, "However, when we tried to contact you we couldn't get through. Me and Sarahari tried every trick we knew to establish contact but nothing worked. Even the newcomers tried to get through but they didn't do much better. In the end we decided no natural barrier should've been able to stop us so, naturally, that meant communications were being jammed on your end. So here we are."

"Who're the visitors?" Windu's apprentice asked, genuine curiosity replacing his earlier surprise and annoyance.

"That'd be us, Xander," came a familiar voice from the top of the loading ramp of the Shinigami.

Looking up Xander looked shocked once more but then that was a bit more understandable because what were the chances that the son of the woman he'd come to Tatooine to save would show up now. Stepping to the side to allow the two people coming down the ramp a clear path, she watched as one Padawan Anakin Skywalker and Senator Padme Amidala made their way down it. The second that Annie's feet hit the sand, he rushed over to his mother and took her into his arms, giving her the strongest hug in the entire universe. It was heart warming to see mother and son reunited at long last but it also served as the proof of Xander's earlier predication about what might happen if Skywalker ever lost his mother. For a young man to love his mother this much it would make the grief and sorrow he'd feel losing her just as potent if not more so. It could have easily been a cornerstone in the fellow Padawan's journey towards the Dark Side of the Force. She shuddered when she tried to imagine what a Sith version of Anakin would be like and thanked the Force that they were able to stop Sing from completing her task.

Tuning back into the conversation, she could see that the Skywalker boy had finished reveling in his mother's position among the living. She decided it was time to move on to the second reason she figured she'd be right to go against Xander Windu's orders. Jogging back up the ramp, she could see Sarahari coming out of the cockpit where she'd co-piloted the ship alongside Anakin and allowing them to execute that precise flying earlier. With a smile she barely managed to keep friendly, she walked up to the female Catharian and laid the seeds for her little bit of mischief.

"Rreya? How is Padawan Xander?" Sarahari asked mostly professionally but with an undercurrent of personal concern that most would miss.

"Well, he's a lot better than most Jedi would be after encountering Aurra Sing but he did manage to catch the edge of her lightsaber on his shoulder." She replied with relief that she didn't have to fake at all, "He says it's fine and that he'll tend to it later but, personally, I think that it's just him not wanting to be a bother. He hates causing trouble for his friends."

She could see the signs of action forming in the Catharian's mind and so all she had to do was give one final nudge to make sure things went in the direction she desired.

"He's probably the type of person who doesn't care what happens to himself so long as his friends are kept safe." She said with a shake of her head.

There.

It was done.

"Then we, his friends, must the ones to care for him if he will not do so." Sarahari stated before moving over to a compartment in the wall near the ramp.

Removing a basic med-kit from within, she proceeded down the ramp with purpose and determination in her step. One minute later she could clearly hear the dismissive noises of Xander Windu trying to play down his injuries and then Sarahari's insistence that his wounds be tended to immediately. Again the top Learner in Master Mace Windu's school of lightsaber combat tried to dismiss the attention but this time with an edge of embarrassment to it. She couldn't help but chuckle along with Anakin, Padme and Erica since it was indeed amusing to hear, if not see, the skilled Padawan be reduced to a whiny boy. With this act she felt she'd paid the young man back for making her sit out of all the fun stuff on the adventure so far. Next time perhaps he'd have the sense to ask her to come along rather than lock her in the ship for the entire trip.

However, now that the mission was essentially over with, all that was left was the tying up of loose ends and then returning to the Temple on Coruscant. No doubt by now, with all this time having gone by, the Masters would be in a foul mood, even though they'd deny it if asked. Nevertheless, two Padawans and an H.R.D stealing a transport, going on an unauthorized mission, being indirectly responsible for the deaths of former slave girls and putting themselves in harms way on Tattoine could not be ignored. If they didn't expel the whole lot of them from the Order, she'd be surprised. If all they got as punishment was kitchen duty for ten years and removal from list of possible future Jedi Knights for the same amount of time, she'd consider them lucky indeed.

The question she supposed she had to ask herself was whether or not to try and downplay her own involvement in the entire fiasco. After all, it wouldn't be too big a stretch to claim that she had tried to stop them but had been knocked out by Erica or that the two had closed the ramp and locked it before she could do anything. From there the fact that she'd been told to stay in the ship the entire time would work in her favor as she could say that she had simply refused to aid Xander Windu in his insane plan. She'd have to work hard to thoroughly convince herself that that was what happened, otherwise the Masters would see the deception in a heartbeat. However, it was as she thought these things that she realized that, at her core, she didn't want to sell out Xander and his sex 'bot to save her own skin and this was somewhat odd for her. While not a heartless bitch, she didn't often stick her neck out for others within the Order when the consequences of doing so could mean expulsion. Xander wasn't far off the mark when it came to the sort of lives female Twi'leks wound up chained to outside of the Jedi Order. You either became a plaything of others to satisfy their own fantasies and ambitions or you worked with people on the fringe of both society as well as the law in exchange for decent treatment.

She didn't want that kind of life.

She'd **die** before she'd allow herself to be reduced to something like that!

Nevertheless, she could not bring herself to commit to the idea of dumping all the blame and punishment on the shoulders of Erica and Xander Windu. In the end, no matter how much she wanted to do otherwise, she would stand by them both and if they were expelled, at least she'd have some friends she could depend on.

&

_**The Lars Farm, One Day Later, Anakin's Point of View**_

She's alive.

ALIVE!

That thought was enough to lift Anakin to the heights of joy and relief but only until his mind forced him to also recall how close she had come to death. It had been a Tattoine month since she had been abducted and, had it hadn't been for Xander and Erica, he would have arrived on his homeworld with nothing to do but bury her.

It had been his dreams that had first alerted him to the peril his mother was in. It had been weeks ago, during a mission with Obi-wan, that he experienced the first of several nightmares that would rob him of many nights of sleep. At first he had dismissed them as merely harmless nightmares, the result of his longing to see his mother again combined with the harshness of the mission itself, but as time passed he began to suspect something more. Nevertheless, he did his duty and focused on his responsibilities as a Jedi, hoping that at the very least he'd be able to free up some time to visit his mother. He knew that the Order generally preferred to keep contact between its members and their families to a minimum because of the rule against personal attachments. However he also knew, though, that there were exceptions since Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi had a wife and a daughter. After the mission to Antion, he had been given something that washed his mind clear of any desire to contact or visit his mother.

He saw Padme again.

The mere mention of her name carried him back to happier times, such as their initial meeting on Tattoine in Watto's shop to the trip to Coruscant and then to Naboo. However when he actually laid eyes on her, it was like being in the presence of a true angel, it was **intoxicating**, so much so that he swore to himself right then that he would do anything to protect her. Obi-wan was quick to restrain such desires in, though, reminding himself of his responsibilities and his orders, and with much reluctance he obeyed. It had been something of a constant all throughout his training as a Jedi that Obi-wan Kenobi would frequently criticize his methods or behavior, despite its effectiveness. He did his best to take such actions in stride, truly believing that his Master was only doing such things to help him, but every so often he wondered if jealousy was the real reason. It was no secret that amongst all the Padawan of the Order it was he who was learning the quickest and proving himself to be the strongest. In all honesty, there was only one person he considered to be a worthy rival, a possible equal, and that was one Padawan Xander. Whether it was through Xander's unique privilege of being taught by several Jedi Masters rather than just one or because the Learner had natural talent, he didn't know. All that could be said for certain was that having Xander as a rival, as a brother, helped ward off the isolation his power cursed him with as far as the other Padawans were concerned.

It had only been after the failed attempt by the bounty hunter Zam Weasal that he had finally been given a mission of importance to handle alone. While his Master went to Kamino in pursuit of the bounty hunter that Zam was working for in an effort to uncover the whole story behind the assassination plot against Padme, he'd escort her back to Naboo. From there it had been his job to stick close to her and protect her from any further assassination attempts. It was an assignment bestowed upon him by the Force because not only was it he who would have chosen it without being ordered, it also made him happier than he could ever recall being. It was only when the nightmares began to reassert themselves, even more terrible than before, that his inner peace was disrupted, preventing him for getting a good night's sleep. It was only when he could take no more that he informed Padme that he couldn't stay on Naboo, that he had to go to his mother, that he journeyed back to his homeworld. When he'd arrived, he known exactly where to go and found Watto easily thanks to the fact that the flying rodent was holding a grand reopening of his shop. Odd, since he was sure his former slave master had lost everything in the Boonta Eve podrace ten years prior. In any case, it hadn't taken much to get the location of his mother from the Toydarian but the scruffy junk seller did let slip that someone else had asked about his mother over three weeks ago. At first he'd been worried about this but when he'd arrived at the Lars farm and saw a crimson skinned Twi'lek walking about, surprise was the dominant thing on his mind.

It took about twenty minutes after that for him to be filled in on everything, ranging from Xander stealing a transport to rescue people who'd been abducted from Naboo to getting a vision involving him and his mother. When he'd asked if there'd been any word from them, Rreya had said she was about to go into the transport and make contact for a status update. However, when they opened up a com line to Xander, they got nothing but static for their efforts. Another try was made, after making modifications for any natural phenomena that could be interfering, but still there was no sign that a stable connection had been made. It was only after he'd made an attempt that ended in failure that they all began to suspect that something artificial was being used to block the signal at Xander's end. There hadn't even been a discussion before he slipped into the heavily modified and armed transport's pilot's chair and that was because they all knew what needed to be done. A Catharian named Sarahari sat down next to him and, once everyone that was coming along was on board, they took off in the most likely direction where they might find their friends.

They'd gone up as high as they could without making the external cameras useless and panned over every square foot of rock and sand they came across. Between him piloting the ship and the others manning every sensor display in the ship, they had probably obtained the most detailed examination of the region to date. However it hadn't been until both he and Rreya had sensed a disturbance in the Force that they got their first indicator of where to go. Pushing the ship's engines as hard as he could inside an atmosphere, it took them less than thirty minutes to arrive at the sight of the battle. It was just as they watched Xander's defense begin to crumble under Aurra Sing's assault that he made the decision to put an end to the confrontation **immediately**. Sending the ship into what was probably the most insane dive ever, he aimed it right at the bounty hunter and with a single shot from the ship's laser cannons they forced the bane of Jedi to back off. Fortunately, though, the pale-skinned woman knew when she was outmatched and, after using a thermal detonator to disrupt their targeting sensors, she was gone.

Once he finished personally making sure that his mother was alright, they all got aboard the Shinigami and flew back to the Lars farm. Just as Xander had requested, a fully prepared medical regimend had been assembled to take care of his mother and do the things that were beyond basic field medicine. While there had been a few times he had been worried, in the end the combined efforts of Sarahari and Marael proved up to the task. While both said that she would have to stay off her feet for a few weeks and would need to adhere to a medical routine during those weeks, she should make a full recovery. No words could possibly describe how he'd felt upon hearing that news but relief and boundless joy definitely wouldn't be that far off. From that point on he took advantage of every second he could to tell her about his life and how it had been for him since leaving Tattoine ten years ago. She had listened to everything he said and he could see nothing but pride in her eyes as he told her of his adventures. With those eyes she washed away all the rough edges of the past ten years and made him feel like everything had been worthy it in the end just to know that she was proud of the things he'd done. A darkness had been lifted from his soul and it felt **glorious**.

Walking up the steps to the area where both Padme's ship and the Shinigami rested, it didn't take him long to find Xander. He hadn't seen his friend since breakfast this morning and he had a feeling he knew why his fellow Padawan had sought out some solitude. Now that his mother was okay, it was time for the two parties to go their separate ways. He and Padme would take those who had been abducted from Naboo back with them so they could see their loved ones again. Then he would resume his task of protecting the beautiful Senator until such time that Obi-wan closed the case on the assassination attempts on her. Xander, on the other hand, would be returning to Coruscant to face the consequences for his actions and accept the punishment of the High Council. Both he and Padme had promised that she second they landed on Naboo they would do all they could to persuade the Masters on the High Council to show him leniency. While it was true that only the High Council had the right to judge members of the Order, he was confident that if enough people spoke out on Xander's behalf, it would have some effect. Sarahari herself said she would accompany Xander back to Coruscant to make her case in person, as would Marael, although no one could get her to explain her reasons for doing so. With all this support, most had figured that Xander would be of lighter heart but he knew his friend better than that and so he sought his friend out.

Standing at the edge of the hole that had been dug and then used to house the home of the Lars family was Xander, looking across the sandy field of moisture vaporators. However he was fairly certain that his fellow Learner was not looking outwards but inwards for the answers to his current situation. Walking up the young man he decided to wait until he was acknowledged before saying anything.

"They are **so** gonna throw me out when I get back." Xander said without turning his head.

"Maybe not. I'll admit you should've put a bit more thought into you grand rescue but you saved a lot of lives, including my mother's life." He said trying to cheer up his comrade, "That's got to count for something, right?"

"If it was just an unauthorized mission, they might be willing to go easy on me. However I crossed a line back on Ord Mantell and that's what's going to get me kicked out." Xander replied with a troubled tone in his voice, "I…I used the Dark Side Annie. I used it and I tore those scumbags apart like they were **nothing**. If Erica hadn't snapped me out of it…I don't know how far I would've gone before I came to my senses."

"What do you want me to say, Xander? That you screwed up? Well, you **did** screw up." He said, deciding that trying to take the blame completely off would be a mistake, "The question you should be asking yourself, though, is: am I gonna let this mistake dictate my future to me?"

This seemed to spark a reaction in the young Padawan that bore a resemblance to Master Yoda because Xander turned his head for the first time since the conversation started.

"There are pretty much three ways of handling a mistake Xan: a) you whine about it, b) you forget about it and c) you learn from it." He said, inwardly pleased that it was him giving the sage advice this time, "So, how are you going to handle this screw up of yours?"

A thoughtful look crossed Xander's face, a sign of him considering what had been said, before his trademark lopsided smile blossomed across his face.

"Looks like you're finally getting the hand of 'Jedi Wisdom', Anakin." Xander said with humor before a more serious look entered his eyes, "Thanks."

"Anytime." He replied as he felt he'd paid off a little of the debt that he owed Xander for rescuing his mother.

He still believed he had a long way to go before he could consider the debt completely paid though assuming it was even possible to pay back the debt. After all, what price could he truly put on the life of his mother? If the debt equaled the remaining years of life that his mother now had to live then it would take him every day of those many years to repay his friend. He was about to say more but then his ears picked up the sound of C-3PO approaching so he turned to see what his creation had to say. Looking at the approaching grey protocol droid, he could see R2D2 also approaching with the dome on top turning back and forth.

"Creator Annie, I am sorry to interrupt your discussion with Padawan Xander but R2D2 insisted on speaking with you immediately." C-3PO said in his usual manner, "It appears that moments ago he received a message onboard Miss Padme's ship from an Obi-wan Kenobi. Do you know anyone by that name?"

As one, both he and Xander looked to one another with neither needing to say what was already floating at the front of their minds.

They both had a bad feeling about this.

&


	12. Rescuers, Rescuees and Beginnings

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the copyrighted material contained herein

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the copyrighted material contained herein. They are the rightful property of their creators and associated companies. I make no money off of this fanfic. I write only for my own enjoyment and the enjoyment of those that choose to read my work.

&

_**Aboard Padme's Ship, Five Minutes Later, Xander's P.O.V**_

"Anakin. My long range transmitter has been knocked out." Said the hologram of Obi-Wan Kenobi, "Retransmit this message to Coruscant."

With a nod from Anakin, Padme immediately began to route the message through her ship's long range transmitter and towards its intended destination.

"I have tracked the bounty hunter Jango Fett to the droid foundries on Geonosis. The Trade Federation is to take possession of a droid army here and it is clear that Viceroy Gunray is behind the assassination attempts on Senator Amidala." Obi-wan said as he revealed what his investigations had discovered, "The Commerce Guilds and the Corporate Alliance have both pledged their armies to Count Dooku and are…wait…**wait**!"

It was then though that something happened that was not within the holo-cam's range of vision and it clearly was important enough to stop the Jedi's debriefing. All that could be heard from the transmission was a snarling sound that definitely came from a living being, Kenobi igniting his lightsaber and immediately began to deflect blaster bolts but the high rate of fire that was being sent his way quickly overwhelmed him. The source of the attack soon scuttled into view revealing itself to be a droideka battle droid and, after a few minutes of it firing, the camera was finally hit, ending Obi-wan's message. Looking at Anakin, he could see clearly on his fellow Padawan's face that he feared the worst for his mentor and after narrowly avoiding losing his mother composure was difficult to maintain. While he only knew the man through interactions with Anakin, the Jedi Knight was a pretty good guy for the most part, except for putting too much stock in Jedi prophecies.

His first impulse was to begin making preparations for a trip to Geonosis to rescue Obi-wan but he quickly clamped down on that idea. His last rescue mission had blown up in his face big time and if he went off on his own without Counil approval a second time, he'd be likely to avoid prison time. No. He would wait and obey whatever orders the High Council members handed out regardless of what his inner Knight was telling him to do.

"More happening on Geonosis I feel than has been revealed." Spoke Master Yoda from someplace outside the range of the holo-cam on Coruscant.

"Indeed. Anakin. We will deal with Count Dooku." Windu said as his holographic form stood on the display plate, "The most important thing for you is to stay where you are. Protect the senator at all costs. That is your first priority."

"Understood, Master." Anakin replied, though anyone could see that he wasn't happy with being benched like this.

"As for you, Padawan Xander, Erica and Padawan Rreya, your orders are to go with them to Naboo to return the rescued women to their world." Windu said, a look of supreme authority on his face as well as in his voice, "You will then return **immediately** to Coruscant. Your transgression will be dealt with at a later time. Understood?"

"Understood, Master." He replied with bowed head and submissive tone.

With that the communications connection to Coruscant was severed leaving the people occupying the ship at the moment to themselves.

"They'll never make it in time." Padme said, clearly unwilling to simply go back into hiding after hearing news like this, "They have to travel halfway across the galaxy. Look. Geonosis is less than a parsec away."

"If he's still alive." Anakin said clearly not taking Obi-wan's odds of survival nor his orders from the High Council very well.

"Anni? Are you just going to sit here and let him die?" Padme asked obvious surprised that someone she cared for was just going obey orders she believed to be wrong, "He's your friend, your mentor--!"

"He's like my **father!**" Anakin exclaimed clearly an emotional storm at the moment, "But you heard Master Windu! He gave me strict orders to stay here!"

"He gave **you** strict orders to protect **me**." Padme pointed out as she turned herself towards the ship's helm controls, "And **I** am going to help Obi-wan. If you plan on protecting me, you'll just have to come along."

The smirk that appeared on Anakin's face was all that was needed to see which way he'd go and his actions matched this as he slid into the co-pilot's seat. As the two of them began to go through the ship's pre-flight check lists, Xander found himself wishing that there was some kind of loophole he could use to do as his heart commanded of him. However, unlike Anakin, no one he was ordered to be responsible for was headed for Geonosis and he was still worried about how defying the High Council a second time would affect his punishment.

"You know, Xan, it **is** wrong of them to defy orders straight from the High Council." Rreya said casually but with a twinkle of mischief in her eyes, "After we saw them gathering their things to leave **and** hearing them talk about heading to Geonosis, it's only logical that two **loyal** Jedi Padawan's would try to stop them."

"True and if we just **barely** managed to get on board before the hatch closed, we couldn't very well be held responsible if we wound up going along for the ride." Erica said, catching onto the Twi'lek's train of thought, "After all, short of damaging crucial parts of the ship or harming the two of them, there wouldn't be anything we could do to stop them, right? We wouldn't want to do anything that could provoke a political incident between the Jedi Order and the government of Naboo."

"But what about Sarahari and the others?" he asked, wanting to bring up the biggest thing keeping him from just up and leaving.

"Yuthura Amersu can use the Shinigami to take the others back to Naboo. With the armaments you had installed they should be able to return home safely." Sarahari said with her confidence in her free friend clear in her voice, "As for your concern of increased punishment from the High Council… well… you may as well put your remaining time as a member of the Order to good use, right?"

He had to grin at that statement both for its humor and because it was true that whether he disobeyed this order from Windu or not, he'd still probably get kicked out of the Order anyways. If that was the case, then it would be best to place some meaning into his remaining time as a Padawan and what more meaning could there be in going to the rescue of a fellow Jedi. However, for this rescue, he would leave nothing to chance and the only way anyone else would be hurt would be over his dead body. With his decision made, he knew all that was left was for him to say his goodbyes to Sarahari and the others as well as wish them a safe journey on the way back to Naboo. However, as he turned to face them, he was struck dumb by the sight of the Catharian accepting a bag of weapons from Yuthura as well as Marael trotting up the ramp fully armed.

"Um… uh…,what are you two doing?" he asked with a bad feeling growing in the back of his mind.

"What does it look like? We're coming with all of you." Sarahari said as she began to check each weapon in the bag to see what condition it was in, "While I do not doubt either your abilities or that of Padawan Skywalker, you'll need more help if there are as many battle droids as Obi-wan Kenobi implied in his message. The others are too badly wounded from Davros' little arena event so it makes sense for them to head back to Naboo."

"No! I understand that the customs of your people demand that you repay me but it's just too dangerous on Geonosis!" he exclaimed, completely determined to keep Sarahari from getting involved in the battles to come, "You saw what they had there! It'll be dangerous enough for just me, Anakin and Senator Amidala to sneak in there to rescue Kenobi!"

"I appreciate your concern, Xander, truly I do, however my mind is made up." Sarahari said with a strange tone of voice that he had heard after the mess with Aurra Sing, "Besides which, if Senator Amidala is venturing into such hostile territory then, as a member of Naboo's security force, I am duty bound to render whatever aid I can."

He sighed in defeat since he had a feeling any further efforts to dissuade the Catharian from coming along would be a waste of both time and effort. Species with life debt beliefs in their culture were notoriously stubborn about repaying that debt, no matter what the cost. Add to that the fact that he didn't possess the same diplomatic skills as Master Windu, he very much doubted he'd be able to come up with a persuasive counter argument anytime soon. He **was,** though, going to succeed in getting Marael to get off the ship since he didn't know the young woman at all and she had no connection with Naboo, so coming along to protect Padme was not a good reason. Turning to where she was sitting down in one of the passenger chairs, she looked to be as cool as a Vulcan but when his eyes met hers there was an inferno of strength in them.

"I am coming along as the medic for the group." Marael said without even waiting for him to take the stance of making her stay behind, "There is no telling what condition Jedi Knight Kenobi will be in when we rescue him. I'll be the one that patches him up enough to get him back to the ship so we can escape. As for fighting droids, I have some experience in that area."

"What kind of experience?" he asked interested in learning more about the mysterious Arkanian.

"**Useful** experience." Was all she said in reply before leaving the bridge for one of the rear compartments of the ship.

Speechless about how out of hand things had gotten, he did the only thing he could do when outvoted and outmaneuvered.

He sat down on the floor and began meditating to figure out what they'd have to do when they **a****rrived** on Geonosis.

After all, it wasn't like there'd be this big ass map on the landing pad with an 'Obi-wan Kenobi is here' sticker on it.

&

_**Office of the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, Same Time,**_

_**Jedi Master Yoda's P.O.V**_

_Complicated this has become._ Yoda thought as he contemplated the information that those in the room had just received from Obi-wan, _Difficult times ahead there will be if Dooku his way is allowed to have._

The past few weeks had been fraught with one trouble after another, starting with the unauthorized departure of Xander, Erica and Rreya. Contrary to what others might have thought, he had known that simply ordering Xander to remain in the Temple wouldn't keep him from going to the aid of the kidnapped females. Despite the progress the Padawan had made in learning the ways of the Jedi, his heart, his feelings, still existed at the core of his being and thus played a powerful role in what choices he made. Was he incapable of becoming a model Jedi? Perhaps and perhaps that wasn't all that undesirable in the end. After all, if his hunch was right, the Force had gifted the young Padawan with not one but two potent visions that were important enough to cause all other concerns to fall to the wayside. He knew not why the Force spoke so loudly to the young Padawan but his faith in it was strong and so he would trust that there was a reason for its actions.

"The Commerce Guilds are preparing for war. There can be no doubt." Said Senator Bail Organa of Alderran.

"Count Dooku must have made a treat with them." Supreme Chancellor Palpatine stated, indicating the most likely reason for the increase in battle droids.

A senator present was quick to state that the time for debate over the creation of an Army of the Republic was over and that they needed to take possession of the clone army immediately.

"Unfortunately the debate is **not** over. The senate will never approve the use of clones before the Seperatists attack." Organa said, quick to point out still clearly against the idea of using a clone army.

"This is a crisis. The senate must vote the Chancellor special emergency powers," Declared Mas Amedda with great strength and conviction. "The Chancellor can then approve the creation of an army."

"But what senator would have the courage to propose such a radical amendment?" Palpatine asked, sounding doubtful that such a effort could succeed.

"If only Senator Amidala were here." Amedda stated before both he and the Chancellor turned to Representative Binks.

For a few moments none said anything because all that needed to be said had already spoken by those present. However he knew what would happen and worried at the implications the creation of a Republican Army would have on the future. There had not been a full scale war in the Republic in years and, thanks to the efforts of the Jedi Order, only minor skirmishes and conflicts cropped up from time to time. However the number of Jedi was fewer than it had been in years and there were no longer enough of them to handle every conflict that emerged. They were forced to send Knights to those areas where the greatest risks and greatest dangers to the Republic but, while that method worked in the short term, it allowed other smaller threats to grow. If war truly did break out, the Order would be overwhelmed and in no way be able to fight against the Separatists. Alas, this added more support to the creation of an Army of the Republic consisting of clones that had been created under suspicious circumstances.

He didn't like it.

Not one bit.

"Pardons me, Chancellor, but mesa would be mui, mui willing to ah propose dis amendment. Itsa what Senator Amidala would do for sure." Representative Binks said, doing his best to sound like he truly believed the words.

"Are you sure, Representative Binks?" Amedda asked as though truly worried about what his fellow politician was committing himself to, "It could lead to you and the Gungan people becoming rather unpopular with certain members of the senate."

"Itsa seems to mesa that dis be the only solution to the threat by thesa Separatists." Binks replied, not backing down from the job he had volunteered for, "De Jedi cannot handle disa threat alone."

"Very well. I will call for an emergency session of the senate so that Representative Binks can propose the amendment." Chancellor Palpatine said, his support for the Gungan clear in his voice.

With that the room began to empty as the various people in attendance moved to leave the office of the Supreme Chanceelor in order to attend to what needed to be done. This included himself, Master Windu and the other Jedi that had come to listen to Obi-wan Kenobi's message and aide in making a decision. However, as time progressed, the number of potential actions that could be taken and produce results that one might find desirable decreased. At the moment, the best courses of action they could take would be to send a force to Geonosis to rescue Knight Kenobi and attempt to pre-empt Dooku's plans while another investigated the clones on Kamino. While the odds of any force successfully being able to put a stop to the force of droids on Geonosis were uncertain, it was something that needed to be done.

"Do you think they will do as they've been told?" Padawan Offee asked as they descended to ground level in the lift.

"Refer to Skywalker and Xander do you?" he asked, just to clarify who it was she was speaking of.

"Yes, Master Yoda." Barriss replied before looking down with some humility at asking a question in the presence of several Jedi Masters.

"Expect them to stay, I do not." He replied with a sigh that he had tried to hold in, "In their ways of thinking, too independent they are. To Knight Kenobi's aid, they will go."

"Indeed. Independent thinking might be important in certain cases but a chain of command must be maintained or else chaos will ensue." Master Windu said, his expression one of disappointment in his lightsaber-dueling apprentice, "The punishment he will he given will have to be severe and expulsion from the Order will have to be considered."

"Time enough to decide his fate, after dealt with the Separatists we will have." He said, indicating that they should not rush to judgment, "Deal with the more pressing issue first, we must."

"Of course." Master Windu stated, nodding in agreement that the problem on Geonosis needed to be dealt with first before any punitive decisions could be made regarding the two stray Padawan and their H.R.D.

_Punishment for their defiance, not possible it will be._ He thought as the threat of war drew closer, _Need all the Jedi possible we will. _

&

_**Entering the Geonosis System, One Day Later, Erica's P.O.V**_

"Exit of hyper-space complete. Now heading towards Knight Obi-wan Kenobi's last known position." Erica said as she directed the ship towards the amber planet with a ring of asteroids around it.

She had taken over as pilot for the ship a few hours ago so the rest of the people in this rescue party could get some rest and recover their strength. None of them really knew what to expect on Geonosis aside from a bounty hunter and a helluva lot of battle droids with more being made every second. That meant that they needed every ounce of energy they could gain through rest and meditation in order to be as ready as possible for when they touched down. Five minutes earlier she'd sent a message to those in the rear cabin, letting them know that they'd be exiting hyper-space and, just seconds ago, they all entered the bridge. As she began to navigate through the asteroid field, so as better to mask their approach from any orbital satellites, she heard Anakin take the co-pilot's seat. Deciding that they'd need to have some kind of plan, she devoted eighty percent of her mind to piloting the ship while routing the rest towards speaking with others.

"So, do we have a plan or are we just going to wing it?" she asked, sounding like she'd very much like having a good plan.

"We land someplace far enough from the main buildings so that we won't be spotted and then we split up into two teams, each one taking a different route into the main buildings. We do our best to locate Kenobi and if one team finds them before the others do, you send out a steady thirty second single from our com-devices. We'll use that as a means of homing in on the successful team's location and converging." Xander replied as he took in the planet that was getting closer and closer, "Once we're all together, we'll make a break for it back to the ship and get the hell off Geonosis."

"Wouldn't it be better for both teams to just head back to the ship separately rather than chance getting pinned down in one group?" Padme asked, interpreting this as a strategy session where everyone could contribute.

"Odds are that we won't be able to liberate Kenobi without someone or something raising an alarm. If nothing else, Dooku will pick up on us the second we use the Force to do anything if he doesn't know we're here already." Xander replied with a shake of his head, "Besides, by dividing into two teams there's a greater chance of at least one of us managing to make it back to the ship plus it might divide their forces up a bit if they're looking for two groups instead of one."

"Or it'll just make us easier to catch." Marael said from her place leaning against the wall.

"Whether we're two groups or one, we don't have the numbers to take them in a direct confrontation." Xander said before looking at the Arkanian directly, "Besides, this is a half-baked rescue anyway, there are going to be problems one way or another."

"He's right. We went into this knowing we'd only have us to pull off the rescue and seven people against a growing army of battle droids is barely enough for a stealth mission." Anakin said, placing his support behind the rescuer of his mother, "Risk is a part of any mission and we'd have to deal with this one way or another. Xander's plan is the best chance we have of finding Obi-wan and getting out as quickly as possible."

"Perhaps." State Marael, sounding neither convinced nor fully against the plan.

Descending through the atmosphere of the planet, they were shown a world of sand and rock that looked even more hostile in nature than Tattoine. Looking at the sensor information, there was no vegetation of any kind on the surface of the planet that was within range and only minimal pockets of water beneath the surface. With such a harsh environment, the natives would have had to have gotten the materials for the droids from off world as well as the equipment to make them. The only thing she could think of that the natives could contribute to the Separatists would be a remote enough location to allow for creation of the army in relative secrecy. Dooku had probably promised them technology to revitalize the planet or perhaps some great degree of power in 'The New Order' once the battle was one. She had no doubt that the former Jedi had every intention on going back on those promises the second it was convenient for him.

Descending immediately towards the planet, she leveled off at five hundred feet while hugging the bottom of the canyon network that her scans told her led to their destination. All during this time she sifted through the information her internal database had on planetary defenses and sensor grids in an effort to keep the ship safe from both. However, just as there was a chance that Dooku had already sensed Rreya, Anakin and her Master through the Force, there was also a chance that the ship had been detected through conventional means. The Naboo craft wasn't rigged for military operations, nor had it been modified the way that the Shinigami had been during their journey to Ord Mantell. It was essentially a civilian transport with only a few odds and ends incorporated for use by a senator of the Galactic Republic. Plus there was the fact that the ship had been hacked into on Tattoine and no one had been able to stop the hacker. All in all the odds of them going through this entire mission from start to finish undetected were about the same as winning the Galactic lottery. Still, they were committed to the rescue of Obi-wan Kenobi and would see it through to whatever end the Force brought about.

"See those columns of steam straight ahead?" Padme asked from her position in the co-pilot's chair, "They're exhaust vents of some type."

"Sounds like the perfect place to slip in unnoticed." Rreya said with a grin of optimism.

With that, she maneuvered the ship into the largest of the three columns of steam and began the slow descent downwards into the depths of the planet. It took a few minutes before they finally touched down on some kind of platform but eventually they made it. Once the touchdown was achieved, they shut down all non-essential systems to minimize the possible energy signature they might produce on a security system's sensor net.

"Look, if the worst happens and we're captured just follow my lead." Padme declared as she grabbed her coat, "I'm not interested in getting into a war here. As a member of the Galactic Senate I might be able to find a diplomatic solution."

"Good luck with that." Erica muttered, clearly not believing that diplomacy was even an option on this mission.

"So what are the teams going to be?" Sarahari asked as she conducted a last minute inspection of her gear.

"Team one will consist of myself, Rreya and Padme." Anakin replied as they began to move towards the exit ramp of the ship, "Team two will be under Xander's command consisting of him, Erica, Marael and you."

The Catharian took a moment to consider this arrangement before nodding in acceptance of the team assignments.

"So you've decided to leave the band, eh, Rreya?" Xander asked with mock disappointment.

"Yeah. I was tired of being a second stringer all the time." Replied the crimson Twi'lek with equally mock regret, "At least if I'm a member of Skywalker's group I won't be stuck minding the ship all the time."

Her Master rolled her eyes at this no doubt exasperated that the Twi'lek was still throwing a fuss about being told to stay on the ship both during the Ord Mantel as well as on Tattoine. She was sure that Rreya had understood the tactical reasons for remaining on board the Shinigami both times but the female was obviously not someone that took well to confinement.

With the teams made up, they left the ship and once out of the shaft that they'd used as an entry point found themselves in a darkened three-way hallway. Lighting was at a minimum, though, and could have meant that either the natives of this world had superb night vision or that this section of the complex was not often used.

"Alright. We'll head this way." Xander said pointing down the corridor to their right, "Remember, if you rescue Obi-wan, send the signal through your com-units to let us know. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah, we got it!" Rreya replied, being the one to roll the eyes this time because of Xander belittling their ability to remember things.

With nothing further needing to be said, the two teams went their separate ways and began to travel into the dark corridors in the hopes of locating Jedi Knight Obi-wan Kenobi.

"Erica? You take point. Your H.R.D sensors can probably pick up a lot more than the rest of us can with our own senses." Xander ordered before turning to Sarahari and Maeael, "Next will be Sarahari and then Marael with me taking up the rear. Hopefully this set-up will let us get as much advance warning of incoming hostiles or security devices as possible."

She could see the strategic sense of the ordering of the group but she couldn't help but consider the side benefit it also provided her Master. Not only would he be protected from a frontal assault thanks to the three females but it also provided him with a rather excellent view of three female asses. Personally, though, she hoped that it was her ass that he'd be spending the most amount of time looking at but, if he behaved like a typical male, it'd be impossible for him to **not** appreciate Sarahari and Marael as well. She was okay with that for the most part because she knew she had an advantage that the other two ladies did not. As long as her body received regular maintenance and the occasional replacement part, she was essentially immortal. When that fact was added to the fact Xander was partially of Master Yoda's race then his lifespan was considerable as well. Therefore she would be around much longer than either Sarahari or Marael would, even if they lived to the maximum potential ages of their respective races. So she could be **generous** and permit them to have their fun for a little while because, in the end, she would be the one to stay with Xander for centuries on end. Perhaps whatever experience he gained with the two of them would make him an even better lover and future husband than he otherwise would have been. In any case, she made a subtle effort to put a little more seduction into her movements without giving away too much to the ladies behind her.

Further and further down the corridors they went, with her sensors keeping them on course for the main concentration of buildings where Kenobi was most likely being held. They'd encountered none of the natives so far and the few electronic security devices she'd disabled weren't very complex. In short, Team Two was either very lucky or someone had made sure that their path towards the main complex was kept clear of obstruction. That was not a good thing in either case because, not only does luck run out eventually but, if they didn't know who was aiding them, then they had no way of knowing their intentions. She had no doubt that the others felt the same way and were putting extra effort into examine their surroundings as they went. Fortunately the odds of anyone or anything sneaking up on them was remote due to the combination of her sensors, Sarahari's animal sharp senses and Xander's strength in the Force. Whether it was a living organism or a droid, they'd be able to see, smell or hear it coming before it got too close.

_Still, there's always the x-factor that exists in any situation. _She thought as she kept her BFG blasters at the ready, _There's no way to tell whether it'll work in your favor or against you._

However, after nearly fifteen minutes of walking, the silence was seriously beginning to get to her and she wished at least something would happen to break up the stillness in the air around them.

She got her wish when, out of nowhere, she, Sarahari and Marael suddenly found themselves flung forward by a powerful force directed at them from behind. However there was no heat or flying debris accompanying it at all.

At least not at first there wasn't.

Shortly after they had hit, the wall to the left of where they had been exploded outwards and had such force behind it that it would have been fatal had she, Sarahari and Marael still been there. With the all too familiar sound of metallic feet and whirring servo-motors, though, there was no time to remain shocked at how her Master had no doubt used the Force to push them clear of the blast. Quickly getting into a crouched firing position, she brought her BFG blasters to bear on where the droids would appear. She didn't have long to wait as, seconds later, B1 battle droids began to march out of the hole, opening fire the moment their simplistic sensors registered a target. Fortunately the explosion that had been the droids' big entrance also provided the rest of them with slabs of stone to take cover behind. It wasn't much, barely three feet vertically and two feet thick, but there was little else that could be done in the present situation.

Amidst the sounds of blasterfire, she could hear the reverberating hum of Xander's lightsaber as it deflecting the bolts of energy sent his way as well as cutting in half any droid that got within range. However the torrent of droids being sent at them appeared to be endless and it wasn't long before the entire floor was littered with droid parts. Nevertheless they kept coming and, five minutes after the battle began, a new menace showed itself in the form of a battle droid that wasn't in her database. It seemed similar to the B1 battle droids but had a larger torso and its weapons were mounted on its wrists in the form of fully automatic blasters. The only positive thing about this development was that the extra armor on the torso made them easier to hit and the number that could fit inside of the corridor was less than the B1 droids. Consulting her database, she found this situation to be to their advantage, since it meant that there was little the droids could hope to do except keep coming until they all ran out of energy cells for their weapons. Unfortunately, with the sheer number of droids that had likely been produced on this world, it was extremely likely that that is exactly what would happen.

Doing a diving role from her now-shattered piece of cover to a niche that had been carved into the wall by the inhabitants, she just hoped that their cover held out because all it'd take was one bolt of blaster energy getting through to her to take her out of the fight.

_I hope the others are doing better than us._ She thought, never once letting her rate of fire dip nor her accuracy suffer.

&

_**Droid Manufacturing Facility, Same Time, Rreya's P.O.V**_

_Looks like I made the wrong choice of teams._ Rreya thought as she continued to deal not only with the machines building the droids but also the natives wielding sonic disruptor weapons.

Their trip down a different corridor than Xander had started out well enough but it quickly went wrong when what they had presumed to be statues actually turned out to be living creatures. She had sensed something the entire time but her ability to sense things with the Force was vague at best and something that her teachers at the Temple had always lectured her on. She had known from the moment they'd entered the hallway in question that **something** alive was close by but she hadn't been able to pin down a precise location. Fortunately that didn't last all that long since, the second they walked past the halfway point, Anakin's own Force sense picked something up well enough to spook the Geonosians into attacking. With blue and green lightsaber's swinging, they'd managed to force things to a stalemate in the hallway for a time but eventually the sheer lack of room to maneuver had forced them to withdraw.

The place they'd withdrawn to, though, hadn't been all that much of an improvement. They'd wound up being backed onto a metal plank that overlooked the main droid manufacturing facility and, the second the door closed behind them, the plank retracted. One drop later they were on the conveyor belt carrying flat pieces of freshly made metal plates with the belt moving them in the direction of weird devices, none of them looking like they would be fun to pass through. They had to put their attention in three separate directions: one on the conveyor belt, one on the various machines they had to avoid and the last bit on the sporadic groups of Geonosians. It was when Padme was separated from them that things really got out of hand because, with a look, they'd agreed to split up in order to locate her. That was what brought her to where she was right now which was trying to locate Padme while at the same time trying to stay alive.

Fortunately for her, the sparring sessions she'd had with Xander back at the temple were helping her out big time. With all the unconventional ways he chose to attack, it was rare indeed when one of the machines or one of the Geonosians managed to catch her completely by surprise. The bad part of the scenario was that not only was she no closer to finding Padme but now she had completely lost Anakin as well. Unable to keep herself from growling, she became to feel the mounting frustration at how things had turned completely to Bantha Poodoo in the space of a few minutes. Feeling out with the Force, she managed to get a feel for where Anakin was and began to head in that direction. Leaping from one conveyor belt to another, it felt like one big obstacle course that had been put together by some sadistic Jedi Master. Not that any Jedi could be called sadistic because that would make them Sith, but she could definitely see one of the Masters at the Temple putting something like this together as some kind of test in focus or maintaining calm no matter the situation. Personally, considering the situation, she thought she was doing pretty good keeping a level head amidst all of this chaos.

Seeing Anakin down below three conveyor belts ahead, she used the natural grace and agility that the females of her race were known for to navigate the obstacles between her and him. When she finally landed at his side, it was just in time to see him free his hand from a sheet of metal that had been molded into the shaped into a droid part. Landing at his side, one of the first things she noticed was the fact that his lightsaber had been cut in half by one of the manufacturing plants machines. She had to chuckle a bit at this because it was something of a popular joke around the Temple that Anakin Skywalker lost or wound up breaking more lightsabers than any other Padawan.

"Not again!" Anakin said, appreciating the humor of the situation only half as much as she was, "Obi-wan's going to kill me."

She was about to comment on that but, as she was about to speak, she heard a rolling sound that did not fill her with optimism. Her prediction was proven true when three droidekas rolled into the open area ahead of them and quickly transformed so that they could bring their weapons to bear. Then, as if things weren't bad with the droidekas, some guy in blue and grey Mandalorian armor jumped down and leveled a WESTAR-34 blaster pistol at the two of them. Looking at the odds, she knew that there was no way she could deflect blasterfire for the both of them and take out the enemy at the same time. Droidekas were known to give Jedi Master's trouble and Mandalorians had a history with the Order and that meant this guy probably knew what he was doing where they were concerned. In the end, it didn't even take her a minute to decide what to do.

"Don't move, Jedi." The Mandolorian said, his tone making it clear that hesitation wouldn't be in his near future one way or the other.

"Gotcha. We give up." She said, deactivating her lightsaber and dropping it to the ground before raising her hands in the universal surrender pose.

Inside of two minutes, both of them were wearing mag-cuffs and were being pushed prodded and bullied away from the manufacturing facilities. While she definitely was not having fun it definitely made her realize that she should have just stayed with the ship like always.

"Looks like Xander's not the only magnet for trouble in the Order." She muttered as she tried to find a pace that would keep the shoves and poking to a minimum.

"What do you mean by that?" Anakin whispered back to her with some curiosity.

"Well, considering the amount of trouble at the Temple, I'd narrowed down the potential troublemakers down to three and, you know what? Only one of them was here, so I figured that any team other than his was the safe one. Boy was I wrong...!" she replied with a growl of frustration as she walked.

"Quiet Jedi! No talking!" The Mandalorian said before delivering an especially sharp poke with his blaster to the small of her back.

_Forget the ship! I should've just stayed at the Temple and avoided this entire mess! _She thought before making a mental note never to help Xander Windu out again.

&

_**Two Hours Later, High Level Security Cell, Xander's P.O.V**_

_Well, let's see. I've counted the number of holes in the wall and the number of right angle curves in the room._ He thought with boredom as he tried to keep his mind occupied, _Yep! If something doesn't happen soon, I might actually have to practice meditation like Master Yoda's always been at me to do._

Not that he could actually assume a meditative position at the moment thanks to the gravity field he was hovering in. Apparently Jedi rated nothing but the best because instead of your standard prison cell, he had some high tech gizmo that interacted with the cuffs around his wrists and ankles to completely restrain his movement. Even with the Force as his ally, he couldn't move so much as an inch whether he tried to move a leg or an arm and that left him with only what he could see to keep his mind occupied.

Sadly there was a reason why he never liked car games like 'I Spy'.

Mostly this was due to the fact that it required that he be especially observant of trivial things and because it was much more interesting to play with his Gameboy or reading the latest issue of Uncanny X-Men. In the present situation, though, he had no Gameboy and no X-Men comic book to keep him entertained, so trivial and ultimately boring car games were all he had. If he ever met the person who designed these cells, he was going to have a few words with him/her/it about proper entertainment for the prisoners.

Hearing the door to the cell slide open, he was only partially surprised to see Count Dooku stroll in, looking very much the stately noble. However, if he truly was the leader of the Separatists, then he was, for the moment, an enemy and would have to be treated as such. While he would like to think that this was the same man who was a Jedi a couple of years back, the fact that he was here, working with the Geonosians and not in mag-cuffs, indicated something stank. Still, just because he had to treat the man as an enemy didn't mean he had to forgo his usual way of handling potential big bads.

"So, is there any particular reason you've had me put on display like this?" he asked with casual flippancy, "'Cause I really don't want to think about the other reason someone could have a guy trussed up like this."

"Suffice it to say, my young Padawan, that the Geonosians are well aware of the abilities of a Jedi and so chose to take no chances." Dooku said with only **some** amusement in his voice, "Your Twi'lek friend is similarly restrained but I am afraid that the remainder of your group will have to be content with more conventional imprisonment."

Using only the bare minimum amount of Force he could, he tried to sense if there was any falsehood in the man's words. It had been something of a mess in the final moments of the battle and with all the battle droids mucking up the hallway he hadn't been able to clearly see what happened to the others. A frown crossed his face as he could sense nothing that would indicate Dooku was lying about capturing and imprisoning the others. That was **not** of the good. That meant it was pretty much up to Master Windu to rescue the lot of them, assuming that the master of Vapaad managed to get to Geonosis before they got executed. Considering that he and the other Jedi he brought with him had to come halfway across the galaxy to get to Geonosis, he wasn't going to hold his breath. Sending out a silent prayer to the Force for **some** kind of good luck, he decided to get this obvious Q&A session started.

"So, is there anything specific you wanted to ask me or is it part of your daily routine to visit the prisoners here on Geonosis?"

"Only the special prisoners, my young friend." Dooku replied with his amusement level never rising, "My question for you, though, is what are you doing so far from the Temple. From what I have learned from the Geonosians, there was no Jedi Master with you and unless procedure has changed greatly since I was a Jedi, you should not have been permitted to leave without one."

"Let's just say that when the Force shows you something, sometimes you have to sneak around the rules." He replied mixing the truth with some obscurity.

"You had a vision? Interesting. I had been led to believe that those were becoming increasingly rare among the Order." Dooku said with increased interest, "What did it show you?"

"A friend in danger. It was all the reason I needed to borrow a transport."

"A friend? Truly you are something of an odd Padawan." Dooku said with a genuine smile, "Most Padawans your age would never even think of doing such a thing, since it would incur the displeasure of the Jedi Masters. However, you and Skywalker are unique since you were admitted to the Jedi Order well past the maximum age permitted. Such a unique position will serve you well with what I perceive is coming."

"Oh?"

"Indeed, my friend. It is something that has been a long time coming but that I only was made aware of ten years ago by the Viceroy of the Trade Federation after the failed blockade of Naboo." Dooku replied, instantly falling into wise storyteller mode, "He told me that he had been manipulated into the assault on Naboo by a Sith Lord called Sidious and wanted my aide in gaining retribution on the fiend who had deceived him. I was as reluctant as you no doubt are to believe that the Sith had returned or were capable of such an act. However further investigation on my own proved this story to be true."

"So you have evidence to support this claim?"

"Nothing that would hold up in the court of law, if that's what you mean." The former Jedi replied with regret, "However my years of experience as a Jedi and a Count gave me the wisdom to see the connections for what they were. This Sith Lord is very cunning and has been laying the seeds for his ascent to power very carefully over the course of several years. It is only now, when his plans are nearing fruition, that he has seen fit to make the return of the Sith known to the Jedi Order."

"I suspected as much myself. I've done quite a bit of reading on past Jedi and, through that reading, I've come to learn some things about the Sith. They are all power hungry without a single benevolent bone in their bodies." He replied, making his opinion of the followers of the Dark Side known, "However, in the past, they always amassed an army and then marched in to conquer the Republic. Since there's been no news of a large force being amassed in the Outer Rim, it seemed odd. The theory that this Sith Lord is being more subtle fits the evidence."

"I am afraid, Xander, that matters are much more serious than you think. It is my belief that this Sith Lord currently has complete control of the Galactic Senate and is currently using to eliminate those with the power to thwart his plans." Dooku said grimly as he revealed his dire analysis of the situation, "That is in part why the current government is so opposed to the efforts of the Separatists. Sidious knows that if sufficient planets side with us, we will have the ability to challenge whatever military power he possesses."

"My own investigation into the return of the Sith also pointed a finger at the Galaectic Senate. Power is the one thing a Sith can never have enough of and, if Sidious is not building military power, then political power is the only option left." He said, carefully considering how to phrase his next question, "However, whenever I try to find a single person who has benefited the most from events I can tie to the Sith Lord, there's always one important piece missing. The best I can figure is that it has to be one of the top ranking senators in the two strongest factions."

"Your insight serves you well, young Padawan. Indeed it is very likely that the Sith Lord is among the ranks of senatorial elite and manipulating all others towards the finale of his grand plan. However, finding the evidence to expose his identity to the Republic will take time." Dooku said, sounding as though he'd prefer more direct action be taken, "Time we might not have if Sidious' plans are truly nearing completion. If you truly wish to thwart the plans of this Sith fiend, you must join with me, young Xander, and together we can throw down the corrupt regime Sidious has seized control of!"

"The Galactic Republic need not be abolished completely." He said, wanting to see how dedicated Dooku was to his _coup de tat_, "If we can expose Sidious and his role in various horrible acts over the years, the senators will be quick to distance themselves from him and might even bring new evidence to bear against him. Most probably won't be able to escape repercussions regardless of what they do and that should help rid the senate of at least some of the corruption while curtailing the rest."

It was clear from the silence that followed that Dooku had not considered the possible benefits of that course of action. For a few minutes he thought matters through before once again raising his eyes upward.

"Perhaps. The question then becomes 'how would one locate the needed evidence or provoke Sidious into revealing it?'" Dooku asked neutrally, as though he was willing to give the strategy some thought, "The Sith Lord is cunning and has proven to be a master at manipulating events from afar. It will prove difficult to get Sidious to expose himself, if not impossible."

"Not necessarily. When trying to trap a serpent, you just need to find the right bait." He said with a small grin of confidence, "We could try to use his lust for power against him. Lure him out with information about a power greater than anything he could currently possess and thus force him to abandon his current plan or risk losing this new power forever."

"That **could** work." Dooku said with some optimism present both in his words and on his face, "However, it will take time to locate just the right bait for your plan to work."

"Not if you have the Trade Federation and the rest of the Separatists aide in the search." He argued, pointing out the forces already at the Count's disposal, "Just dangle the claim that finding this weapon or power would help them claim easy victory over the Republic and they'll gladly send out troops to search."

"That would gain the attention of the Order." Dooku said, pointing out a flaw in employing the Trade Federation and other Separatists in the search for the right bait.

"Not if you disguised the movements as welcoming more worlds into your growing group." He said countering the man's move, "Even if you wind up claiming a world or system that has no strategic value, you could always say that it was a world promised to one of your supporters in exchange for their help."

"It would seem you're as skilled with words as you are with a lightsaber." Dooku said with a nod of respect, "I will consider your strategy. However, keep in mind that at the moment it seems unlikely that a confrontation between the Separatists and the Republic will last very long. The Supreme Chancellor has no standing army and the Jedi are too few in number to oppose the droid army being created here. Still, it is something worth considering. Until next we meet, my young Padawan."

With that Count Dooku left the cell and only the low hum of the mag-field was left to fill the silence that permeated the room.

Well, the hum and the gears turning in his head as he examined the new information he'd just been given. He wasn't about to take it at face value but, at the same time, it's said that the best lies are those with a grain of truth to them. He just needed to pick apart the lies to get at the truth in everything the former Jedi had said and he'd be one step closer to finding out the true identity of Darth Sidious. At the moment, though, he had something of a more important question that needed to be answered before anything else.

Would his examination of the facts revealed by Dooku last until his next visitor arrived or would he be forced to revert to car games again?

&

_**The Normal Security Cell Block, One Hour Later, Sarahari's P.O.V**_

_While not as swift as I would prefer, the wounds are healing. _Sarahari thought as she examined the injuries she sustained from combating the battle droids.

It was one of the strengths of her people that they could recover swifter than many of the other humanoid species that comprised the Galactic Republic. However, the recovery wasn't instantaneous or impressive enough to have her heal from her wounds in hours. At best, she could hope that by the time that Dooku chose to deal with them finally and for good, her wounds would be recovered enough so she could fight once more. There would be pain, of course, but a daughter of Cathar was not so weak so as to be hindered by such a trivial thing as physical discomfort. She would remain true to her life debt to Padawan Xander and, if the Force willed it, perhaps their relationship could grow beyond the current connection they shared. She had no mate and had only performed the Blood Hunt once as part of her rite of passage to adulthood before she was captured by slavers employed by Xizor on Cathar. It had been a fierce battle and both she and her family had fought by her side but, in the end, foul trickery had rendered them all helpless.

_Thank the great Tree that they survived the attack! _She thought as she recalled the day she communicated with her family after settling on Naboo.

While she had been worried that she might have shamed her family by being captured, it turned out that none of them had doubted that she'd find some way to escape. However, when they asked her when she would be returning to Cathar, she had to inform them of her life debt to Padawan Xander. She explained how horrible it had been to be kept prisoner along with the other females but that she'd used every free moment she had to try to plan an escape. However, with virtually no place to hide anything useful (may those dead slavers burn in the pits of hell for trying to degrade her with that **clothing**) and the swift reprisals that some of the females faced should they try to steal from Xizor's men, there was little she could do besides gather information. She had almost been ready to start an insurrection of her own when Padawan Xander stormed the underground vault where she had been kept. It had been like a live retelling of the stories her mother had told her when she was just a young kitten of the brave Jedi Revan. He flung the minions of Xizor against the wall with a gesture, freed them from the slave chips implanted in their bodies and aided them with his lightsaber in escaping from the warehouse itself. What had truly impressed her had been his choice to remain behind to deal with the three droidekas while she led the rest of the free females to the Jedi transport ship. Even on Cathar, the threat represented by a droideka was known and to face three at once was either a sign of true bravery or genuine stupidity. Seeing as how he survived the encounter with nary a scratch, then he was obviously a case of the former since if it was of the latter then he would surely have died. It was that act of saving those once held captive by Xizor that made the life debt with him necessary. As true Catharians, her family agreed and so she dedicated the years that followed to protecting those slaves freed just as Padawan Xander desired.

As a member of the Naboo Planetary Security Force, she dedicated every day to assuring the safety of her charges both through personal training as well as suggesting improvements to established security protocols. It was never easy to persuade them to adopt her suggestions and put them into effect but, through careful planning and an unbeatable presentation, she was able to get them accepted. However her time on Naboo had not been as peaceful and pleasant as it had been for the others among the free slaves. Her people were warriors, hunters and predators so the peaceful atmosphere that made up life on Naboo was occasionally stifling for her. Much like Alderaan and other peace oriented planets, Naboo believed in negotiation and understanding when conflict arose between two parties. This went against her natural inclination when confronted with an adversary and that was to make a show of strength in order to scare her foe off. A show of strength could come in many forms, such as a menacing glaring, a word of warning or, if that should fail, she would extend her claws. While occasionally resulting in lectures about the ways of Naboo by her superiors in the Security Force, these methods were more or less accepted. However there were times when she would encounter a particularly troublesome person from offworld and lose her temper, causing her to physically take him/her down **hard**.

Those incidents resulted in anywhere from one week suspended to **half a YEAR** suspended from work without pay.

Still, she had always done her best to obey the rules and regulations of the Security Force while, at the same time, doing all she could to keep her charges safe. However it became known to her not long ago that for every moment of peace and success one enjoys there will come a time of failure. It had been an ordinary day for her and nothing in the reports made by others that worked the shift previous to her indicated anything serious was amiss. However just as she had been about to start her patrol of her assigned sector of the city a level five security alert sounded in the Security Force precinct. As they had been trained they all ran to the operations room to find out what was going on and where they would be directed to go. To say that the majority of them had been shocked to learn that the spaceport had been overrun with pirates and mercenaries would have been an understatement. However they deserved much credit for snapping out of it sooner rather then later. Letting their training take them they immediately donned what body armor they had and standard issue blaster rifles. Once prepared they each left for the sector to which they'd been assigned in order to put an end to the chaos that was spreading throughout the city.

It had taken them time to finally put an end to the incident but, when the last mercenary or pirate had finally been slain or captured, she allowed herself sigh of relief. She had been concerned during her time amongst the people of Naboo that they would ill prepared if a serious threat emerged. They had proven themselves competent at handling the occasional bar brawl and had even solved a murder on the outskirts of the city but she had been concerned that they wouldn't be able to handle numerous foes at once. However they had triumphed and Naboo was safe once again for its citizens to walk down the streets or fall asleep at night.

Or so she'd thought.

It had not been until two hours later that the truth had been revealed when the administrator of the library where her charges worked came to the precinct. The man informed her that a group of fifteen mercenaries had stormed into the library and had immediately gathered those inside into a single group. The old man had thought that this was an effort to hold them all hostage however when the leader of the group took out a data padd, it became something more. With continuous looks back and forth between the padd and the group, it soon became clear that the mercenaries were looking for someone specific. With much crude language and rough treatment her charges had been singled out from the rest and once the last one had been identified the fiends had strafed the remaining civilians killing many of them. No doubt this had been done to mask the abduction as just another bout of mass murder but, fortunately, their haste in leaving allowed the administrator of the library to escape death more or less unhurt. However the same could not be said for the first three of the mercenaries that she managed to lay her hands on before her comrades convinced her to cease pummeling them. Fortunately for her they had understood that it had been a major blow to her pride that she had failed so terribly in protecting her charges. However it had still taken time for her to convince her superiors to allow her to remain on the case but, in the end, they caved in. Most likely they realized that if they did not allow her to pursue the culprits in her official capacity as a member of the Security Force, she'd simply go off looking for her charges on her own.

It had taken time and effort but they were eventually able to track down the culprits to the planet of Ord Mantell but their success was marred by a surprise attack. Not five minutes after they had exited hyperspace they were attacked by a trio of ships and, despite the moderate armaments on their craft, they had taken a serious beating. Even with her last minute effort with the fuel had only bought them time and as it turned out the enemy had anticipated this turn of events. No sooner had they landed on the moon of Ord Mantell then they were immediately surrounded by droids on the surface while being covered by the two unknown ships from above. While she had seethed at failing once again, her determination to fulfill her life debt to Padawan Xander kept the fire within her burning. She would not let this stop her from fulfilling her duty and so, despite the urge to tear into the foes in front of her, she restrained herself. She found herself questioning that move in the days that followed as the dregs that worked for Davros frequently used, abused and humiliated them while they waited for someone. No matter who inquired, not once were they told who it was that the criminals were expecting and, if any dared to press harder for an answer, they were beaten into silence.

Only when she began to believe that the filth were lying to them about an impending arrival did things change. It had been then that two new sets of footsteps accompanying those that she had heard day in and day out since she'd been placed in the cell with her charges. At first she thought that Davros had simply hired some new muscle and was just making a grand showing of his assets and accomplishments. Hope blossomed, though, when the door to the cell opened to reveal the H.R.D that Padawan Xander had gained on Ord Mantell. The hope became stronger still when she noticed the man in Mandalorian standing out in the hallway that was roughly the same height and build as the Learner that freed her on Ord Mantell. It had taken all her self-control to keep the joy from appearing on her face but, sadly, this was helped along when Davros attacked the Padawan from behind, rendering both he and his H.R.D unconscious. Determined not to let this one chance at freedom pass them by, she had attacked head on, hoping to catch them with their guard down. However she was only able to claw out the throat of one of them before a blaster set to heavy stun sent her into the depths of unconsciousness.

When she had awoken, she was furious to find that she had been changed into clothes best left to Hutt dancing girls and that caused a whole lot of imagery to come up as to who dressed her and how many liberties they took with her body. However she had learned from her last attempt to fight her way free and decided to wait until a more favorable opportunity appeared. Of course that was when the hired muscle loyal to Davros marched them into the middle of some sort of sand-laden arena before tossing a box full of daggers their way. The reason for the daggers soon became clear when a door on the opposite side of the arena to unleash a stampede of animals that desired to drink blood and rend flesh. Some of the more practical among them immediately took up a blade to defend themselves against the charging beasts. Others, sadly, got lost in their terror and chose to run from the animals that threatened them rather than fight them and those females were the first to die. Fought hard she did, doing everything she could to organize those who fought alongside her into a credible opposition to the slobbering beasts, but for every beast they had some measure of success against, another woman died. However it was when Alora was slain most viciously that a terror was unleashed that she had not thought she'd ever see nor did she ever want to see it again.

The first sign of this was a body being flung from Davros' personal box seat to land on the plasma barrier that was erected around the arena. At first she thought that perhaps Padawan Xander had managed to free himself and was about to save them all once again. However, the being that emerged from the hole in the glass of the box seat was **not** the Learner she knew but, rather, a specter of death that slew living things at will. Anything that dared to defy **him** suffered a bloody and brutal end unlike anything commonly seen both within the Galactic Republic, as well as without. It almost was enough to make her believe that the person beneath the Mandolorian armor was in fact not Padawan Xander. However her denial was proven to be built on a foundation of sand for when Erica managed to knock the armor clad avatar of death down to the ground and pulled off the helmet to reveal the man she owed a life debt to. Fortunately all it took was a swift blow to cause the malicious intent on Xander's eyes to vanish, reviving the kind orbs she was used to.

They managed to leave Ord Mantell without further incident and, with the medical supplies aboard the transport, most of the injuries inflicted on the survivors of the arena were handled. While the terrible sight she bore witness to, Padawan Xander tapping into the Dark Side of the Force, still lingered in the back of her mind, it was irrelevant because if he had not come to their rescue they would most likely be dead. Once again she owed her life to Padawan Xander and the debt she had towards him was already considerable indeed. Nevertheless, she made a personal promise to herself that she would do all she could to repay him for all his kindness and bravery no matter how long it took. One way she swore to repay him was that, when they returned to Coruscant, she would do all she could to persuade the Jedi High Council to be lenient with his punishment. While it was true that he went off on his own without authorization, a crime she herself was guilty of on occasion, his actions resulted in the saving of many lives. That had to count for something even in the eyes of the Jedi Masters. If, however, they could not be dissuaded from expelling him from the Order, she would do all she could to find him a place on Naboo. The fact that the Naboo Planetary Voluntary Security Force was at the top of her list of potential places of employment was just random chance, of course.

However it was when the course of the Shinigami was changed and they headed to Tatooine that he was proven to be a truly noble. He had a Force vision revealing to him a potential disaster in the making that could lead to a friend walking down the path to the Dark Side. While most Padawans would meekly return to the Temple on Coruscant and just report the vision to the Jedi Master's, Xander didn't hesitate to prevent his friend's fall. With his choice to worsen the situation for himself to divert a friend from darkness, she saw in him a warrior equal to any Catharian male, as it was considered normal among her people to prioritize the survival of the Pride, the family, over the well being of oneself. If Rreya was to be believed, then Xander saw his friends as family more than those related to him by blood.

_Indeed it was very informative speaking with her on Tattoine._ She thought looking about the cell they were in for some way out.

It had been as they were waiting for Xander and Erica to return with Shmi Skywalker that she'd chosen to ask the crimson Twi'lek about Xander. She made sure to keep it casual, merely polite inquiries about his life at the Temple, but as time went on it was made clear by the female Padawan that no topic was taboo in her mind. She learned of how he was being instructed by no less than five members of the High Council and was absorbing his lessons at an amazing rate. Indeed, if she had been taken under the wing of five renowned warriors on Cathar, she knew she would learn faster than normal as well. She learned that he was considered to be the Padawan to beat the record for the youngest lightsaber combat master in the last two hundred years. While this might be an exaggeration, she believed that if anyone had the potential to truly becoming someone great it was Padawan Xander. More and more they talked until she felt she knew a great deal more about the green Learner than just a mere acquaintance would, it was then when Rreya had implied something about the **passion** he had put into preparing for the rescue mission on Ord Mantell. While all Jedi possessed compassion and kindness towards all living things in the universe, Xander apparently had done his best to leave nothing to chance when planning the rescue. A false account at a bank known to do business with the less than law abiding members of the galaxy, a convincing and perfectly executed false identity to deceive the filth on Ord Mantell as well as coming close to beating Davros at his own game. Those were things that went beyond the scope of what was usually done by members of the Order as far as she knew and, if she had interpreted the Twi'lek's words right, it made the importance of the mission clear.

Someone Padawan Xander cared about deeply was in danger and that meant nothing could be permitted to get in his way.

That had her wondering who precisely Xander cared about so much that he would go to such lengths to rescue them. She had gone through the females he'd saved from Xizor and tried to recall if he'd spent any significant amount of time with one of them. All in all, she could only think of one person whom he had spent the most time with: herself. It had floored her when she had come to that conclusion, much to the amusement of Rreya, but, as time went on, she began to feel a certain… interest in the idea of being important to Padawan Xander. She was not that much older than he appeared to be and was considered to be one of the best warriors her family had produced in five generations. Xander himself was progressing quickly through his studies at the Temple and was soaking up what Jedi Master Windu had to offer like a sponge. When looking at the two of them… **together,** it would be easy to say that they were a good match and she had little doubt her parents would already be making arrangements if the idea of marriage popped into their heads. Fortunately, if she had only just been introduced to the idea, then it was unlikely that they had even thought of it, never mind seriously contemplated it.

_Then, of course, there is the Jedi matter concerning personal possessions and attachments._ She thought seeing those two rules as the biggest obstacles.

Rreya had apparently predicted the direction her thoughts would go and had pointed out that Xander had been accepted into the Order only a few years prior to meeting her. The Twi'lek went further by saying that while her fellow Padawan always did his best to meet the expectations of the Jedi Masters, she didn't believe he'd ever become the ideal Jedi. The green Jedi had already lived fifteen years of his life and had accumulated habits that would be difficult, if not impossible, to unlearn. That was, of course, assuming Xander would ever desire to unlearn those habits in the first place. She had to admit that if she had ever manifested the Force enough to be accepted into the Order and was accepted at her present age, she too would find unlearning everything difficult.

Alas, even if it were true that Xander made the decision to not entirely cast off the lessons of his past, he would no doubt receive pressure from his superiors to conform. Even on Cathar, the power of conformity, of going along with the will of the majority, was potent and few dared do walk outside of the path tread by the bulk of Catharians. Some that did were heralded as pioneers of a new path for their people while others were considered heretics and considered to be threats to be eliminated or at least confined to certain regions. However, the Jedi Order was not known for such things and, at most, would expel Xander from the Order to minimize any potential bad light being directed at them from the mistakes he might make. In the end, she supposed that either the Jedi Order would expel the Padawan in order to remain true to their Code or they would accept that there were just some things about Xander they could not change no matter what. While she hoped for the latter, she would do all she could to aid him should the former be the course the Force chose for him.

From that moment onwards on Tattoine, she had chosen to spend what time she could with Xander in order to get to know him better. After all, if he was indeed expelled from the Order at the end of all this adventuring, then she would need enough information to make a recommendation to the Security Force on Naboo. While it was true that as a former Jedi, his skills would be best used as a field member of the Security Force patrolling the more troubled areas of Naboo, there was also the possibility that he would desire to have a position that didn't remind him of what he'd lost by being kicked out of the Order. As with making any decision of importance, one needed to collect as much relevant information as possible and only then make a choice.

Hearing the skittering footsteps of the Geonosians approaching in large numbers, she mentally prepared herself for what was most likely about to happen.

The time for the natives of this world to pass their judgment on those believed to be guilty of the foulest of crimes.

The time for the execution of all the prisoners had come.

&

_**The Tribunal Arena of Geonosis, Thirty Minutes Later, Obi-Wan's P.O.V**_

_It would appear that my luck has run out._ Obi-Wan thought as he looked about the arena to see many Geonosians in attendance for the 'execution'.

He only hoped that his message had indeed been retransmitted to Coruscant by Anakin because, if it did not, then the only way that the Republic would be alerted to the droid army was when it began to attack systems in the Republic. As for himself, he would endeavor to survive this mess despite the overwhelming odds and, if it was the will of the Force, he would be reunited with his Learner and resume his duties as a Jedi. How precisely he could get out of this current situation with his lightsaber taken from him and his arms chained to a stone pillar, he was not quite sure. The most he could do was carefully observe events as they transpired and hope that some means of escape would present itself.

Turning at the sound of another gate of the arena opening, he turned to see a sight that both disappointed him while, at the same time, was a welcome one in light of his current dilemma. Pulled out of the darkness of a chariot, hands restrained, was none other than his Padawan Anakin Skywalker and the very senator that he had been charged with keeping safe. Seeing as how the execution arena was about to become the complete opposite of safe, he had to wonder for the umpteenth time if his Learner ever thought before taking action. It was not all that hard to deduce that former slave from Tattoine had come in an effort to rescue his Jedi Master and, for some reason, thought it was a good idea to take Senator Amidala along. Unfortunately, though, it appeared that the rescue effort had been a spectacular failure as it had succeeded only in getting the two of them captured as well as set up for execution. If the two of them managed to survive this situation, he would have to re-emphasize to his young Padawan the dangers of carrying out a rescue that one is ill-equipped to accomplish.

It was when he heard the sounds of other chariots coming out of the same arch that his Padawan had come through that he become somewhat confused. To his knowledge, only his reckless Padawan and the headstrong senator had been on Tattoine and surely none of the Naboo Voluntary Security Forces would have condoned a rescue. Turning to see who else had been judged and sentenced to death, he was shocked to see young Padawan Xander and Padawan Rreya being pulled out in restraints towards his position. How had **they** gotten mixed up in all of this!? He had heard upon his recent return to Coruscant that Xander, Rreya and Erica had stolen a transport in some foolish attempt to rescue a group of females that had been abducted from Naboo. Though both Masters Windu and Yoda appeared to be as calm and collected as they always were, those that had trained under them could see signs of stress on their faces. Both of them had come to possess a certain… fondness for Padawan Xander and expressed significant… satisfaction when the young man successfully mastered a lesson. For their Learner to do something as wrong as thievery and fly off to perform some half thought out rescue must have been disappointing for them. Efforts had been made to locate them and bring them back to the Temple but the trio had proven to be most resourceful in concealing their whereabouts.

_If it wasn't for the fact that they did not receive permission for their rescue mission, I might be inclined to be impressed. _He thought before suppressing the urge to gape at the sight of a third chariot being pulled out into the arena.

This chariot carried one Catharian who seemed vaguely familiar to him and an Arkanian woman who was a complete stranger to him. The first he could vaguely recall as being one of the slaves that had been freed from Prince Xizor on Muunilinst and had gone on to live on Naboo. Had she joined Anakin in leaving Naboo to travel to Tattoine? Was she a subordinate of Senator Amidala? As for the Arkanian the woman with the snow white hair was a mystery as nothing he could recall could explain her being here. In short, he was disappointed, touched and confused all at once.

One by one they were prodded off the chariots they had been standing on and escorted to one of the stone pillars to his right. Once they'd arrived, each had their mag-cuffed hands raised above their heads and attached to the chain that hung from halfway above the pillar. Seeing all of this, he decided that he should at least confirm whether or not his Padawan had indeed retransmitted the information to Coruscant.

Hopefully Anakin had the sense to at least get **that** done before getting himself captured.

"I was beginning to wonder if you'd gotten my message." He stated letting his disappointment at his Padawan's actions show.

"I retransmitted it just as you'd requested Master." Anakin stated, thankfully expressing at least some regret about how his choice to come to Geonosis had turned out, "Then we decided to come and rescue you."

"Good job." He said with some sarcasm while looking up at his restraints in order to emphasize the point.

It was then though that Xander apparently felt the need to throw in his own two credits into the conversation.

"Don't be so hard on him, Kenobi." Xander said, coming to the defense of his fellow Padawan, "Windu and his rescue party were too far away and we didn't think they'd keep your head off the execution block until the cavalry arrived. So we did what friends do when another is in trouble. Of course, normally this would end with all of us flying off back to Coruscant, but it's still half good."

"Just as Master Yoda would tell you not to try, I must say, Padawan, that in situations such as these a half defeat is still a defeat." He said, hoping the green Learner realized that they were still lined up to be executed if something didn't happen soon.

It was then that things apparently began as the apparent ruler of the Geonosians, along with Dooku, Fett and members of the Trade Federation, walked out onto the balcony that overlooked the execution Arena. The ruler then said something to the gathered spectators but, sadly, his understanding of the dialect was about the same as knowing what his Padawan was thinking most of the time. However, when three gates on the far side of the arena began to slide open, he got a trio of clues that immediately let him know what was about to transpire. Walking out into the open was an insect like acklay, a multi-eyed cat known as a nexu and **very** large reek. Apparently the way the Geonosians executed people wasn't by firing squad, poison or massive plasma infusion but rather by letting wild animals tear the guilty persons limb from limb.

Not his preferred method by which to join with the living Force.

As the Geonosians use shock rods to coax the beasts towards the pillar, he immediately tried to recall all he could about the beasts. Their strengths, their weaknesses and their preferred methods of killing their prey. Any piece of information could prove to be crucial if they were to survive.

"I've got a bad feeling about this." Anakin said, clearly catching onto what was about to happen.

"Yeah. There's a lot of that going around at the moment." Xander stated casually although there was some effort to test the strength of the chains binding him, "However I think we have about twenty minutes before that feeling will go away for good."

"Twenty minutes? How do you figure that?" Anakin asked with some confusion.

"Twenty minutes is about how long I figure we'll have before these killing machines take our insides and turn them into outsides." Xander said with only a little concern about the current situation.

"Optimistic, aren't you, Xander Windu." Rreya snarked from her position on the next pillar, "One week of kitchen duty says we last ten before we become one with the living Force."

It looked like Xander was about to say something but then a strange look came over his face that completely baffled the more experienced Jedi.

It was the look of a man who knew he was going to be victorious.

&

_**The Upper Rim of the Arena, Ten Minutes Earlier, Erica's P.O.V**_

_Looks like I'll be cutting things close with the rescue after all._ Erica thought as she looked down to the arena floor where her Master would soon be.

It had been three and a half hours since she'd been force to separate herself from her Master and she cursed her limitations for it, even if the move was strategically sound. They had been overwhelmed by battle droids near the end and she knew that it was a matter of minutes before they would taste defeat. Refusing to allow another incident like the one on Ord Mantell, she had fought her way free of the throng and, once gaining sufficient distance, she began to strip as quickly as she could. Contrary to what one might think, she had no desire to try and seduce anyone into obeying her but rather it was necessary if she was to take full advantage of one of her abilities. Once the last stitch of clothing was gone she mentally activated the first stage of her ability, causing a grey liquid substance to flow out of her pores until she was covered from head to toe in it. Even her hair glistened a bit with the substance while crimson lenses were lowered over her eyes like a second eyelid. By the time all was completed, the liquid had solidified somewhat into a latex-like substance that covered her from head to toe, leaving no skin exposed. However it was only when a current of energy was channeled through it that its true nature was revealed as to anyone observing her she would've appeared to shimmer out of existence. It was her creator's own attempt at a personal cloaking device that rendered her completely invisible to both the naked eye as well as scanning equipment. However it was not without flaws. The first flaw was that the more she had to cover with the substance, the less gray liquid she would have to spread around making the effect of the cloak reduced. The special glands placed at strategic points inside her body generally produced just enough of the gray liquid to completely cover her immediate body so creating more to cover an object such as clothing was difficult. The second flaw was that she could only move at a casual speed both in walking as well as moving her limbs since there'd be a visible distortion effect around her body if she moved faster. Considering where she was, that had made getting around almost completely unbearable. The final flaw of the cloaking device was that trying to use it while clothed lowered its effectiveness since the substance had varying effects on things that were not of her body. It was one of the reasons why her creator had been forced to specially treat her weapons so that they could be rendered invisible as well.

All in all it was as good a cloaking field as anything on the market, no matter what the price tag on it, maybe even better, but it had still made moving around the Geonosian capitol difficult. As soon as the others had been captured, she'd immediately followed the guards who led them to their cells and marked the locations of each one on her internal map of the place. Once she was certain that they wouldn't be moved anytime soon, she made her way back to the Naboo spacecraft they'd arrived in to pick up a few essentials. While she had taken quite a bit when they'd initially disembarked, the situation had changed dramatically since then. She had to also get **IT**. **IT** was something she had been working on in private ever since they'd left the Jedi Temple and it had taken quite a bit of cunning for her to make it without the others finding out. However, with her enhanced senses and a little preparation, she'd only had two close calls where either Rreya or Xander might have seen something important. Fortunately it looked like the Geonosians hadn't bothered to search the ship yet, never mind get rid of it, so it was fairly easy to slip aboard and grab **IT**. Once it was safely secreted on her person, only minimally affecting her personal cloak of invisibility, she went on a reconnaissance mission in order to determine the best time to stage a rescue attempt.

However there had been guards posted everywhere and each strategy she had to lure the guards away from the cells had a less then ten percent chance of success. There were simply too many Geonosians and too little she knew about their security protocols here. In the end she had been forced to wait until the time of the execution itself in order to free her Master and his friends. At that point the enemy forces would be at their most relaxed believing that their goal was all but accomplished and was then that she would strike.

So here she was, standing atop the uppermost ring of the arena, watching as Dooku and his allies prepared to unleash their beasts to tear her Master apart.

That **was NOT** going to happen.

However first she had to get his attention and let him know she was ready to turn the tables on the enemy. Fortunately that was easily done as with a reflective piece of glass she carefully flashed the light of the sun into his eyes. It had to be done just right so as not to attract the attention of the enemy but when he looked right at her position and smiled she knew he had seen her. Immediately she began to use the 'Morse code' he had taught her to relay her plan and while she experienced moments of doubt that he was correctly interpreting her codes but when he gave her a subtle nod she smiled herself. With the plan passed on all that remained was for Xander to give the go signal and get into position to receive **IT**.

That would be when the **real FUN** would begin!

&

_**The Execution Arena, One Minute Later, Xander's P.O.V**_

_Looks like things are looking up!_ Xander thought as he began to assess the current circumstances in order to choose just the right time to signal Erica.

He had been a bit worried when he hadn't seen the H.R.D among those the Geonosians were loading onto their chariots due to what had happened the last time they'd been captured. True, he didn't exactly expect any of the natives of the planet to find her appealing but, considering Dooku and his flunkies were also here, there was at least a chance one of them might stake a claim. While he took some solace in the fact that aside from her creator, no one could perfectly reprogram her, that didn't mean that others wouldn't try to do a half assed job of it. However, as time went on and there was neither word nor sight of his friend, he began to think that perhaps the beautiful 'bot had somehow managed to escape. Now, though, she was near and had hatched a half decent way of turning the tables on these assholes. All that remained was for him to choose the most dramatic moment he could to give her the signal and then things would get **REALLY interesting** around here.

"Just relax everyone. Concentrate!" Kenobi recommended as the beasts appointed to being their executioners got closer and closer.

"What about Padme and the others?" Anakin asked, clearly worrying over whether or not the senator would be able to defend herself as well as a Jedi could.

"They seem to be on top of things." Kenobi replied with confidence before returning his attention to the approaching creatures.

Much like Anakin was no doubt doing, he turned to see what the more experienced Jedi meant and found that for once the ladies seemed to be taking the lead. Padme had climbed to the top of her pillar and was apparently picking lock on the cuffs while Sarahari seemed to strategically be working the metal spike that her chain was connected to out of the pillar. As for Marael…well…she didn't seem to be doing anything but did look to be really focused on the approaching beasts for some reason. Hopefully she had a plan of some kind just like the others because, if she didn't, then he'd have to work fast to cover for her. Still, it was nice to see ladies that knew how to take care of themselves in a dangerous situation rather than make with the screaming and crying. While he didn't exactly think it was a sign of weakness for ladies to do that, he did prefer the types that didn't go to pieces at the drop of a hat.

Looking back at the beasts that had now closed to striking distance, he saw that apparently the nexu had taken a liking to him.

Fortunately for the savage creature, he was in the mood to play.

Giving a quick salute with his right hand while he gave the signal for the number four with the other hand, he waited until the beast lunged forward before putting his own plan into motion. With a precisely timed hop, he evaded the feline's lunge, landed on its head and then used it as a springboard of sorts to Force leap backwards onto the top of his own pillar. Landing with pretty good grace and agility, he raised his right hand into the air and, just like Erica had told him, a lightsaber dropped into his waiting hand. It wasn't like a normal lightsaber but rather was a dual-bladed lightsaber that looked like it had more bells and whistles than any saber he'd ever seen. Seeing that the others were in trouble, though, he figured he could figure out what all the buttons did later and quickly used the activation stud to ignite the lightsaber blades. It was both surprising and pleasing to see golden blades extend from both ends but, with a casual slash of the 'sabre, he cut off the chain holding tying him to the pillar.

"Time to get this party started!" he said before leaping into action to defend those non-Jedi among them that didn't possess weapons to defend themselves with.

Leaping down to the arena floor, he found that the nexu was waiting for him and, with a casual thrust of his palm, he flung it across the sand-covered floor with the Force. He didn't want to hurt it necessarily, since it didn't actually harbor any ill will towards him, so to speak, but its instincts were hostile enough for him not to pull his punches too much. Deciding to take advantage of the momentary period of safety, he turned to where Marael was and immediately cut through the chain connected to her cuffs. Turning to Sarahari he wasn't too surprised to see that she had decided that the time for covertly pulling the pin out of the pillar had ended and had used brute force to pull it out. The Catharian was now using the chain like a whip to keep the Geonosians at bay who seemed to be trying to suppress, if not completely stop, the rebelling. Seeing as how anytime the bugs got too close they got broken bones and wings for their trouble, it was doubtful that they'd achieve their goal anytime soon.

_That just leaves…_he thought but was kept from contemplating anything else when a native went flying through the air and got cut in half by one his lightsaber's blades.

Looking back along the path that the Geonosian had come from, he found that Rreya had followed Padme's example and had managed to pick the locks on her mag-cuffs. With her freedom restored, she was making full use of her Twi'lek agility and speed to evade attacks while lashing out with the Force to defeat her opponents. However this method would only be effective for a short time because, as soon as her attackers stopped trying to get in close, they'd employ those hand held sonic cannons. Rreya was good, better than him when it came to evasion, but even she could get hit if the enemy timed their assaults just right. That meant that he had to get them to form up on him so they could cover one another and deal with any serious threats as a group.

"Sarahari, Rreya, Marael! Form up on me! Defensive formation!" He yelled before he sliced off the right paw of the nexu at the wrist.

While there was a moment of hesitation, the three ladies complied, taking up a back to back position with Sarahari to his right, Rreya to his left and Marael behind him. This was in the end simply a stop gap measure since they still didn't have a workable escape plan in place and it was only a mater of time before they lost. They couldn't fight an entire an entire planet and they had no idea when Master Windu and his rescue party would arrive to save the day. The cavalry could arrive in an hour or a day and, while he thought it was possible to endure an hour of attacks from Dooku's forces, he seriously doubted that he had the stamina to keep up a defense for a day. All he could do in the end as he sliced the tip off of one of the Geonosians' shock staffs was hope that the old Harris luck took pity on him just this once.

Then the droidekas showed up, at least eight of them by his count, and within moments all of them had their laser cannons pointed at the formerly restrained prisoners.

_This __**SO**__ hasn't been my day!_ He thought as he put himself into a defensive strong position with his lightsaber and prepared to use Form Three Soresu.

Looking around, he wondered how he'd be able to defeat the droidekas, seeing as how there was more than twice the amount he'd faced on Muunilinst and no Erica in sight. The deadly droids didn't seem to have deflector shields on at the moment but he knew that that could change at a moments notice. If even they didn't have them, he would be hard pressed to destroy even half of them before the rest opened fire. In short, it looked like the Force would get his soul after all and there was very little he could do about it. However, just as he was about to lose hope, he sensed something familiar approaching the arena, **several** somethings, and, for some unknown reason, he spirits began to rise. A smile even blossomed on his face and, as his good mood reached its peak, he somehow knew that there was something even more powerful than the Harris Luck.

A familiar snap hiss of a lightsaber igniting reached his ears and, when he looked up to where Dooku was, he saw a sight that only increased the potency of his smile. Standing there with a purple blade of energy to the neck of Jango Fett was Jedi Master Mace Windu and it looked like even the bounty hunter knew that a hostile movement would be a mistake. He couldn't quite hear what was being said on the balcony but, if what he could sense through the Force was any indicator, Dooku wasn't worried in the least. Not the response he'd hoped for but reasonable since the number of Force wielders up there was evenly matched one-to-one. However that quickly changed when, one by one, lightsabers were ignited in the stands at various levels, showing that Windu had brought friends to this little get together. For the most part this improved his mood immensely but it was tempered by the fact that they were on a planet with a battle droid manufacturing facility. Dooku could literally produce as many soldiers as he wanted until the machines making them were destroyed and then there were the droids that had already been built. This was proven to be true when rapid blaster fire began to fly over Windu's head similar to the bulkier B1 Battle Droids he had encountered in the corridor hours earlier. Fett took advantage of this distraction and attempted to cook Mace with a flame thrower but it'd take a little more than fire to kill the master of Vapaad. A Force leap and a discarded robe later and Windu was ready to fight again.

A good thing too, considering the legions of B1 Battle Droids coming out of every available opening in the arena.

Leaping to Master Windu's side, he did his best to aide his Master in deflecting the incoming fire as well as dispatching the oncoming droids as they came within range of his dual bladed lightsaber.

"Glad you could join the party, Master." He said as he did his best to make full use of both energy blades without accidently harming an ally.

"You're welcome." Master Windu said with not a trace of humor in his voice, "We're going to have a long chat when this is over about the proper chain of command and following orders from your elders."

"Yes, Master." He said, knowing without a doubt that he was going to get a day-long lecture when they returned to Coruscant.

It almost made him throw himself in front of a salvo of enemy blaster bolts.

Almost.

Things were pretty much proceeding apace and, while it was true that the battle droids had the advantage of numbers, they weren't terribly skillful. A careful Jedi, one taking the time to plan their moves, had no trouble handling the incoming fire while dispatching the opposition. The problem, however, lay in the quickly shrinking room to maneuver as more and more of the arena floor was being taken up by droids. While every Jedi received training to handle situations like this, some were naturally more adept at handling it than others. Seeing a group of Jedi off to the far right exhibiting all the signs of being on the verge of being overrun, he left his Master's side and went to their aide, attacking the flank of the droid group assaulting them. Quickly using a combo of lightsaber skill and Force powers, he managed to break up the enemy formation, allowing his allies to take care of the rest. A nod of thanks was all he received before they had to focus on the next group of droids but that, in the end, was all he really needed. A sign that they were truly thankful for the help he'd rendered.

For what seemed like hours the fighting went on with him doing his best to aid those Jedi who were being backed into a corner while at the same time keeping an eye on Sarahari, Marael and Rreya. The Catharian and the Arkanian had managed to acquire blasters from the downed battle droids and were using the broken down pillars that they'd been chained to as cover while they sniped targets of opportunity. All in all, things were satisfactory but that changed quickly when large sonic cannons began to emerge throughout the arena and began to open fire.

This was **NOT** good!

Operated by Geonosians, they didn't really have to show any caution in how they used the weapons or where they directed its deadly fire. After all, the only people down in the arena at the moment were droids and the enemy with one being easily replaced while the other was supposed to die anyways. While some Jedi were able to evade the worst of the blasts, others were too focused on the endless legions of droids flooding the arena floor resulting in them being flung around like rag dolls when the sonic blasts hit.

This could **NOT** be allowed to continue for very long.

Reducing the wielding of his dual bladed lightsaber to one hand, he took hold of a downed droid with the Force and threw it with all his might at the closest sonic cannon emplacement. While not the satisfying explosion he would have preferred, the metal he'd flung at the instrument of death did succeed in piercing the focusing dish, thus rendering the weapon inoperable. Sadly he counted at least six more of these conic cannon emplacements around the arena and, with every second that they remained active, another group of Jedi was hit. It was then though that something rather peculiar happened as a Geonosian was suddenly flung from behind the controls of one of the sonic cannon emplacements. Seconds later the weapon's aim adjusted and it began to obliterate the other emplacements around the arena with terrifying speed and precision. Once the other sonic cannons were dealt with the sole remaining one began to target the largest concentrations of battle droids taking special care not to endanger any Jedi in the process. It was with this move that the battle seemed to tilt in the favor of the Order since the sonic cannon was capable of taking out as many as ten battle droids in one shot.

He was about to rejoin Master Windu when the Force alerted him to a danger to his person, prompting him to dive away from his former position. A good thing too since seconds latter a series of precision shots from a WESTAR-34 blaster pistol tore into the sand that made up the floor of the arena. Looking up, he was greeted by the sight of Jango Fett bearing down on his location, obviously looking to have it out with him. While he had never met the man in person before, he could only presume that the Mandalorian was angry at him for masquerading as one of his people. The Jedi Order and the Mandalorians had a rather bloody history with enough deaths on both sides to make sure that peace wouldn't happen very easily at all.

"It's time we settled things between us, Jedi." Jango said with blaster aimed carefully at its target.

"Indeed it is." He said before sending a Force message through to an approaching Master Windu to not intervene, "But allow me to make things a little more even."

With a quick set a movements he shut down his lightsaber, pocketed it and the summoned a blaster from a nearby disabled droid to his hand. Many would ask him later on why he had done such a foolish thing. He was a Jedi Padawan and had been trained in the ways of a Jedi for the past five years straight. Why would he choose to face a Mandolorian in a duel with a weapon his enemy was infinitely more familiar with? It was a question that, even with the helmet on, he could tell that Jango wanted an answer to as well.

"Let's just say I want to prove to you that I am worthy to wear the armor." He said as he began to draw on the memories he still retained from his Halloween soldier possession.

"Unlikely." Was all that Jango said before he opened fire.

Now most people who knew what was going on wouldn't have expected a Jedi to last so much as one minute against a battle-hardened Mandalorian, much less a Padawan Learner. However, the soldier that he had become on Halloween back in Sunnydale was no mere private, despite how he'd introduced himself to Mrs. S when he'd come to pick up Willow and Buffy. No, the fatigues he'd worn and the person he'd become after the Janus spell had been cast had been of a Navy SEAL, putting information into his head consistent with the best the United States of America had to offer. With the Force allowing him to draw on these memories, these skills, like never before, there was no hesitation in his actions, nor any mistakes caused by distortion to be seen. It soon became evident as the two of them exchanged shots on the battlefield that SEAL training was a pretty could match for the ways of the Mandalorians. Jango still had the edge in experience and didn't have to worry about the battle droids shooting at him but his Padawan adversary was able to compensate well enough to stay in the fight. One fact that stuck out for everyone though was that Xander was using the Force only to keep the battle droids from hitting him. He was barely doing anything at all to use it to enhance his fighting capabilities or physical prowess and that little bit was probably more unconscious use than anything else.

Eventually though an unexpected mid-air shot from his blaster rifle succeeded in shooting WESTAR-34 blaster pistol from Jango's hand. With rifle trained and eyes that made it clear that sudden movements would not be a smart idea, it looked as though the Jedi Padawan had done the impossible and beaten a Mandalorian at his own game.

"Well, it would seem that you've won, Jedi. Finish it." Jango said, clearly unhappy with having been beaten in a battle of blasters by a Jedi.

"No. I will not kill an unarmed opponent, Jango." He said while still keeping the weapon trained on the Mandalorian, "Now get out of here and put some distance between yourself and the Separatists. Things are going to heat up from here on out and marching into battle alongside droids is a poor place for a Mandalorian."

Lowering his blaster rifle before throwing it to the ground, he prepared to walk away from the Mandalorian.

"What would you know about what the right place for a Mandalorian would be!?" Jango asked, clearly insulted by that a Jedi thought he knew the way of the Mandalorians better than he did.

"At the Jedi Temple, I've spent many a night reading up on stories of past Jedi and the tales that interested me the most were of Bastila Shan and Revan. In those tales, they spoke of a Mandalorian by the name of Canderous Ordo and I was always impressed by the honor he possessed." He replied, being honest with Jango while at the same time keeping an eye on battle droids surrounding him, "So I began to read what I could about the Mandalorians and found them to be equally honorable for the most part with only a few acting like bantha poodoo. I came to respect your people. As for why you should leave this war alone, you have a clan to tend to and, in a manner of speaking, a people to fight for. You cannot afford to die until the both of those Actions have been properly attended to."

This seemed to get through to the bounty hunting Mandalorian since the body language now coming from Jango was no longer quite combat-oriented.

"See you around Jango of clan Fett." He said before he took out his lightsaber once more and ignited a single blade.

"Count on it." Was what he heard Jango mutter before he focused all his attention on the droids firing around him as well as the remaining Jedi fighting for their lives.

&

_**The Execution Arena, Same Time, Jango Fett's P.O.V**_

"Vor entye Jango Fett." Came the female voice through his helmet transceiver as he watched the odd Padawan re-enter the battle going on around him.

"Now all debts are squared between us, Ailyn." He said with some misgivings about letting a Jedi who best him walk away unharmed.

"Re'turcye mhi." Was all Ailyn said before the connection was severed.

With that, the debt he owed to Clan Bralor now repaid in full by sparing the Padawan instead of killing him. In truth, though, while the debt he owed was to Rav, it could be taken up by any of Clan Bralor if the right criteria were met. In this case those criteria were all met save one and it was the fact that a **Jedi** had expressed genuine **respect** towards a Mandalorian in a way that went beyond their tranquil ways that stayed his hand this once. The young Padawan had planted a serious itch within his mind and, until he could deal with it properly, he could not take any real action.

Activating his jet pack, he flew to where he knew his son Boba would be waiting for him and, as soon as he touched down, he took his clone son's hand and began to pull him away from the battle.

"Dad? Where are we going?" Boba asked, clearly not understanding why his father was leaving the Padawan alive or leaving the battle site at all.

"A change in plans, son." He replied promptly in a tone that clearly implied he'd explain more fully later.

The truth of the matter was that he knew that the war that was going to happen was going to be a farce rather than a genuine one. Contrary to what Dooku might have thought, he was neither unobservant nor stupid. He knew that Dooku was working with someone in the Republic government to bring this war into being and that every campaign or battle would be a carefully choreographed play for them. However, for the most part, he had let things be, not believing it to be any of his business if one side of the galaxy wanted to knock heads with the other half. He had even thought that with the creation of the clone army on Kamino that perhaps, after the war was over, he could use them to bring new glory to the Mandalorian people. However the Padawan had a point about there being little honor or glory leading simple minded automatons into battle. Add to that the fact that he too would have to dance to Dooku's tune wherever he was sent and perhaps it would be for the best to terminate his contract with the Count.

_Isabet is never going to let me live this down._ He thought as he imagined what the woman from Clan Reau would say when next they met.

&

_**The Arena Floor, Five Minutes Later, Rreya's P.O.V**_

_Definitely should have stayed at the Temple!_ Rreya thought as she twisted and turned to evade incoming droid fire before using the lightsaber provided by a member of the Jedi rescue party to bisect two droids.

Sticking close to Sarahari and Marael, she did her best to stay one step ahead of the droid army that seemed determined to wipe out every Jedi in the arena. Normally droids weren't all that difficult for a Jedi to handle since even one with advanced programming was limited and predictable. However, at the moment, she was pushing herself harder than she'd ever done before during training sessions at the Temple and fatigue was beginning to rear its ugly head. Drawing more strength from the Force, she was able to banish the weariness from her body but she knew that it would be back sooner rather than later. The Force was indeed strong and, when used by a skilled Jedi, could work miracles but in a battle like this, even a Master would be drained fairly quickly. There was literally no end to these droids and since they were sitting on a factory set up for the expressed purposes of making battle droids the good guys would lose **long** before the factory ran out of materials. Nevertheless, she wasn't about to give up and would fight to her last breath alongside the other Jedi since any other way just wasn't dramatic enough for her tastes.

Sensing incoming blaster fire coming from her right, she rolled out of the way, evading it, but was surprised to see the blue energy hit a large battle droid with pinpoint accuracy. Looking back along the bolt's path, she saw a sight that both shocked her and had her inner mischief maker planning new ways to embarrass Xander Windu. Running, rolling, jumping and shooting her way across the battlefield was none other than the green Padawan's sex-bot and Erica was definitely looking the part at the moment. Clad from head to toe in a latex-like substance, the H.R.D was showing off pretty much all her **assets** and leaving very little to the imagination. There were the odd rips and tears in the latex material, indicating that she'd gotten hit by flying debris or grazed by blaster fire, but the human-like droid was in as good a shape as any Jedi.

"Don't you think you should wait until **after** the mission to get him drooling after you?" she asked casually as she used her lightsaber to deflect a trio of blaster bolts back at their senders.

"I'm afraid I do not know what you mean, Padawan Rreya. However, if you are indicating the proper way to gain the romantic affections of a male, then my files indicate that perfectly executed foreplay is essential." Erica said sounding more droid-like than usual in how she spoke, "Besides, unless something big happens soon, I don't think there'll **be** and after."

It was a sad but true fact as there were no Jedi left fighting in the stands of the arena and those that still lived on the arena floor were being slowly pushed towards a central point by the droid forces. It was a good deal more than she'd initially thought when the battle had begun, partially thanks to the rogue sonic cannon tearing holes in the droid ranks, but they were still outnumbered and being worn down. Of those Jedi that had come to the rescue, only a little more than half of them had survived with some barely able to manage a decent defensive position. Then, out of nowhere, the droids ceased their assault, placing their weapons at ease but that could and would undoubtedly change soon one way or another. Looking around, she could see that Sarahari had one arm hanging limp while the other held a blaster rifle at the ready with fierce determination. Marael was a little better off, which was good since she'd lost sight of the Arkanian during the battle with all the chaos going on. Xander Windu's Jedi robes were singed in several places but he looked to be still ready to continue fighting if that was what the Force had in store for them. Anakin and Senator Amidala were looking a little fatigued but, aside from some claw marks on her back and the mid-riff portion of her shirt being torn off, they looked fine. Sadly, as she looked about, there were several Jedi who were not alright and had become one with the living Force. She didn't recognize all of them, only a few she could actually put a name to, but they all lay still on the ground with no sign of life within them whatsoever.

"Master Windu! You have fought gallantly! Worthy of recognition in the archives of the Jedi Order!" Dooku proclaimed loudly from the balcony that overlooked the arena, "Now, it is finished. Surrender and your lives will be spared."

"We will **not** be hostages to be **bartered,** Dooku!" Master Windu retorted firmly, making it clear that he would not be swayed.

While she could understand where the Jedi Master was coming from, she still thought that Baldy might be acting a little hasty in his response. Did it even occur to him that **maybe** if they surrendered they might be able to escape afterwards? After all, the odds that they had more than ten prison cells equipped with those gravity field generators were slim. Nevertheless, she wasn't about to voice her idea seeing as how all of the senior Jedi present probably felt the same as Master Windu.

"Then… I am sorry, old friend." Dooku said, sounding genuinely regretful about what he would not have to do.

As if a switch had been hit all of the droids around them went from their standby poses to being a command away from opening fire once more. All about her the Jedi raised their lightsabers, ready to defend themselves against the assault to come, and those with blasters took careful aim at the more important targets. However it was then that an unfamiliar shadow fell upon the arena floor and, at Senator Amidala's bidding, they all looked up to see numerous transports of unknown design heading towards them. Almost immediately the transports began to open fire on the droid forces, causing the machines to likewise prioritize dealing with the airborne threat rather than the land based ones. That wasn't to say that the droid army ignored them completely but it was clear to anyone with eyes where the bulk of their firepower was being directed. One by one transports carrying humanoid figures clad in white armor touched down in the arena with the occupants quickly hopping off to protecting the landing zone.

"Looks like it's time to go!" Xander Windu said, grabbing hold of her arm and guiding her towards one of the transports that had yet to be boarded by any survivors.

It took only two minutes for her, Erica, Xander, Sarahari and Marael to board the transport and, once full, the gunship lifted into the air clearing the top of the arena in seconds. Once it did, however, she was able to see a battle taking place on the surface of the planet unlike any she had ever seen before. Huge battle cruisers, the obvious mother ships of the transports, were settling down to the planet's surface before unloading row after row of armor clad warriors and vehicles.

_Talk about out of the frying pan and into the fire!_ She thought wondering if she might've been better off in the arena.

&

_**Aboard the Low Altitude Assault Transport, Same Time, Sarahari's P.O.V**_

"Stick close to Knight Kenobi's transport trooper!" Padawan Xander ordered as he held onto the cargo webbing hanging from the roof of the transport.

"Roger that, sir." Replied the armor clad pilot that was flying the transport.

"Any particular reason **why** we're sticking close to Skywalker?" Rreya asked sounding more curious than against the idea.

"Anakin's something of a trouble magnet and, since the biggest source of trouble on this planet is Dooku, then if we stay with him we'll catch up to the mastermind behind all of this eventually." Xander replied sounding as though his explanation was perfectly rooted in logic.

"More like you don't want to be caught alone when Master Windu finally manages to pin you down." Rreya muttered almost too quietly for Catharian ears to pick up.

Xander didn't deny this but he did seem to focus mostly on the battle going on below them. Not that she could entirely find fault with the Learner for this choice since an angry elder with a group of kittens to punish was preferable to a single youth becoming the focus of the elder's displeasure. Wincing a bit at the pain her limp arm produced when an airborne explosion jarred the transport she chose to take stock of her current condition. To say that she had been better would have been something of an understatement as her limp arm had been hit with two potent blaster bolts while her leg had received one, but in a crucial spot. At the moment the only thing keeping her standing was her second arm and the placing of most of her weight on the uninjured leg. Sadly she didn't think she'd be able to stay on her feet for much longer for even the endurance of the Catharian people had its limits.

"Miss? Could you please sit down so I can treat your wounds?" Asked one of the beings clad in white armor but with aqua green coloring added on.

While not quite trusting these unknown warriors, she had to admit that they were the sole reason she had been spared execution mere minutes ago. With a nod of her head, she sat down on the floor of the transport but made sure to keep a firm grip on a nearby handle welded into the floor. With skill and precision, the white warrior before her began to administer basic first aid, such as disinfecting the wounds and applying bacta patches to the more serious areas. It would not grant her relief from her fatigue, nor would it likely enable her to join in the fighting as she would have liked, but it would ensure that her wounds would not bring about her end. Looking up at Padawan Xander, she watched as he gave out orders to the soldiers on the transport, following the example of other transports sometimes, and proving himself to be a decisive commander. It was seeing this that made her believe that she was seeing the birth of a great leader and she felt more compelled than ever to follow him wherever he went from this day forward. Even if they never became anything more than good friends, she felt certain that where Padawan Xander went historical things would occur.

It was right about then though that her promise to watch over the other freed slave women popped up and tried to thwart the glorious future she'd envisioned from taking hold.

It was true that she had promised to protect them but, upon reflection, she realized that she had never clearly stated for **how long** she'd protect them. After all, the primary concern after the incident on Muunilinst had been forces loyal to or associated with Xizor coming after the liberated slave women for one reason or another. However, upon recalling her years of service amongst the Security Force, she could only barely recall even one report indicating a criminal with connections to the Faleen Prince causing trouble on Naboo. In fact, the assault by Davros' forces had been the only serious attack upon her charges since they'd set foot on the peaceful planet. Therefore it could be argued that the threats posed by Xizor and his associates had passed and that it was unlikely that the Faleen would expend significant resources to reacquire a handful of slaves. If that was indeed the case, then it would be lazy of her to attempt to repay her life debt to Xander there, especially when the debt had just doubled in size. It was then she decided that when this battle was over she would approach the Padawan or perhaps the Order itself and offer her services in the struggles to come. Oh, she was certain that this was not the end of it. Geonosis would be but the first of many battlegrounds and her place would be at Padawan Xander's side.

With that decision made she turned her attention back to the surrounding battle analyzing what she could just in case she was able to learn anything that could be of use to the Padawan.

&

_**Aboard the Low Altitude Assault Transport, Fifteen Minutes Later, Xander's P.O.V**_

"Where are they going?" Rreya asked him as she pointed at the transport carrying Anakin and the others as it veered away.

Looking in the direction specified, he tried to determine what precisely was so interesting to Anakin and Obi-wan that they'd direct their transport there. For a time he could see nothing of importance like a group of droids or a transport carrying some of Dooku's flunkies but just as he was about to give up he spotted three specks.

"Trooper! Pass me your macro-binoculars!" he ordered the nearest trooper.

Once in hand, he directed his gaze back at the specks and found them to be Dooku along with two golden ships that looked very close in configuration to the ships that had attack Sarahari's Naboo cruiser as it entered the Ord Mantell system. This brought a frown to his face as he realized that if there was a connection between Geonosis and Davros than it could lead to Dooku as well. That could mean that the abduction of the ex-slave girls he'd liberated from Xizor may have been done under the Count's orders. Anger threatened to creep into his mind at this, along with a need to teach the old man a lesson about messing with those he cared about. However his mind thoughtfully reminded him of the last time he had allowed his anger to dominate his mindscape and so, with a deep breath, he released his negative emotions into the Force. Regardless of what Dooku might have done to him personally, it was vital that the man was apprehended right here on now before the Separatists could get any retaliation going. If Dooku got away, more greedy organizations and systems might side with him turning this single planet battle into a galaxy-wide war.

"Pilot! Follow that transport!" he ordered pointing at the craft carrying Anakin and the others.

"Yes sir!" replied the pilot before the assault transport changed course to follow its twin.

As they followed Dooku and his escorts, it didn't take long for the former Jedi to sense their pursuit and dispatch his bodyguards to deal with them.

"Gunners! Target those fighters but be sure not to hit the other transport!" he ordered and with a nod from the troopers blaster bolts began to streak towards the golden ships.

It wasn't easy though, since both escort craft proved to have the edge when it came to speed and maneuverability. They managed a few glancing shots and forced the two small craft to break off their attack runs once or twice, but sadly their efforts weren't enough to keep Anakin's transport from getting an energy boot to the backside. This had the effect of causing two people, Padme and a trooper, to fall out onto the sand dunes below. Personally he was willing to let them be since they were far enough from the main fighting that they wouldn't be in a whole lot of danger. But seeing as how Skywalker had a crush on the senator from Naboo, he knew that there was really only one thing he could do.

"Pilot! Set the transport down to pick up Senator Amidala!" he yelled over the noise of the vehicle and the wind flying by.

"Yes sir!" the pilot replied as the assault transport slowed down and descended towards the dazed woman from Naboo.

He didn't like leaving Anakin without backup but if it gave the fellow Padawan enough peace of mind to confront Dooku, then it'd be worth it. As soon as the transport set down he leapt out onto the sand and approached where Padme was slowly coming around. The trooper that had fallen out with her had recovered faster and was quickly trotting towards them with blaster rifle in a relaxed position.

"Padme? Are you alright?" He asked as he reached out with a hand to help her too her feet.

"Y-yeah." She replied obviously still somewhat shaken by the fall.

"Good, then get on the transport. We need to catch up to Anakin and the others." He said before turning back to the assault gunship where Rreya and the others were.

"Wait! You mean you aren't going to take me back to the forward command center?" Padme asked, sounding genuinely surprised that he wasn't dragging her back to where it was 'safe'.

"Would you stop trying to get away and follow Anakin if I did?" He asked, looking over his shoulder at the young senator from Naboo.

"No!" Padme replied fiercely, making it clear that she would fight to go to Anakin's side.

"Then that's why I'm not trying to drag you back to the command center." He said before turning his walk into a jog towards the waiting assault gunship, "Now, let's get going before Anakin gets in over his head."

Two minutes later they were airborne and heading along the last known heading of the transport Obi-wan was on. The pilot had tried to get a fix on the location of the bearded Jedi's transport but had only managed to get a partial fix before the gunship's beacon went dead. Whether this meant that the craft had been destroyed or the beacon merely disabled he didn't know but it did mean that they had to hurry. Ordering the pilot to bring their gunship to its maximum velocity he watched as the desert sand changed to rocky outcroppings and mountains on all sides. It didn't take them long to find the other transport but sadly it was decorating the landscape most likely thanks to Dooku's escort ships. Looking about the immediate area he couldn't see them anywhere nor did the pilot see anything on his sensor displays. Landing on the platform that obviously been the landing poin for the first gunship he decided that now was the time for some strategic thinking rather than just blindly running in there like a bunch of cartoon heroes.

"Trooper! Set up a firing line along this platform." He ordered as he pointed to left side of the platform, "Any ship attempts to take off from this location, you and your subordinates are ordered to do all you can to shoot it down. Until Rreya and I return, you will be under the command of Erica. Understand?"

"Yes sir!" the commander of the clone troopers replied as he began issuing orders to his men.

"Pilot! Take Sarahari and Marael back to the command center for medical treatment." He ordered next before preparing himself for the argument to come.

"No Xander! I…I can still fight!" Sarahari argued as she tried to get to her feet as an example of her sufficient good health.

"I appreciate the thought, Sarahari, but this a confrontation for Jedi now." He said, trying to make it clear to her that he wasn't trying to offend her, "You need to recover from your wounds and Marael can help the medics on sight deal with the injured that are most likely coming in now."

For a moment it looked as though the Catharian would protest but, eventually, after seeing the resolve in his eyes no doubt, she nodded in acceptance. Turning to Rreya, he didn't even need to say a word before the two of them entered the hidden hanger to confront Dooku. Igniting a single blade on his lightsaber while Rreya ignited her own, they proceeded carefully further and further into the cave. When they finally reached the hanger itself, the sight that welcomed them was a startling one of Obi-wan injured on the floor with wounds to his arm and leg. Anakin's wounds, though, were more severe for there were signs of electrical burns on his body and his right arm had been severed from the elbow down. Obviously their attempt to defeat Dooku had not gone as smoothly as they could have hoped but, if the rise and fall of the former Jedi-turned-Sith's shoulders were any indication, the duo had made the old man sweat a bit. Hopefully this little bit of fatigue would be enough to give him and Rreya a fighting chance against their foe, if not to beat him then to at least delay his departure.

"It would seem that today is the day I get to relive my teaching days at the Temple." Dooku said before turning to face the two new arrivals, "If only **briefly**."

"Oh, I think this lesson might go on for a bit longer than most." He said as he and the Twi'lek began to encircle the man in opposite directions, "The real question is: who will be the teacher and who will be the student?"

With those words, both he and Rreya moved in to attack the Count with him focusing on the use of Djem So while Rreya used Niman. Attacking Dooku from both sides, they forced him on the defensive and timed their attacks so as to minimize the Count's ability to deal with one enemy before changing to another. His focus was paramount as he did his best to turn his mind into a tactical computer of sorts by taking in all relevant data about the environment and the enemy before utilizing it. As such, he barely heard Dooku's verbal attempts to distract and confuse him causing the elder to attempt to focus his verbal assault on Rreya. Taking a moment to look at his fellow Padawan, he could see that Rreya, like him, was focused on winning the battle but there was no way for him to really know if Dooku's words were actually having an effect. He could not divert focus from his attacks on the Count to stretch out with the Force to find out how she was feeling. Only through great concentration and focus could either of them hope to defeat Dooku or delay him long enough for someone else to do so.

Sadly, in a moment of inattention, Dooku managed to knock Rreya off balance before spinning to the side and launching her through the air with the Force. She slammed hard into the rocky walls of the cavern before falling to the ground unconscious. Concerned for the safety of his friend, he made a serious of quick slashes intended not to harm the Count, but rather to force him away from the defeated Padawan. Placing himself between the female Twi'lek and harm, he knew that things were about to become much more difficult.

"You've improved quite a bit, young Padawan." Dooku said with false praise, "It would seem that there is at least **one** Learner capable of gaining my respect this day. However, now is the time for me to bid you farewell as I have important matters to attend to elsewhere."

"I'm afraid I can't let you go, Dooku." He said as he began to circle the old man, looking for an opening, "After all, I still have things to show you."

With that, he changed his grip on his lightsaber and ignited the second blade, thus fully activating his dual-blade lightsaber. He was, however, taking quite a risk by doing this since he had not had a lot of experience using a duel blade as few Jedi in the Order used them. According to Master Windu, they were considered by the majority of the Order to be too aggressive and that to use one could tempt the wielder towards the Dark Side. Still, at his insistence about learning all forms of lightsabers, Windu had managed to locate one of the few Jedi who employed a dual-bladed lightsaber. The Jedi could only teach him for a month or so before resuming his duties in the field but, during that time, he had done his best to soak in every bit of knowledge he could. Nevertheless, he wasn't foolish enough to think he was anything except an amateur with the weapon at the moment. The situation was serious, though, and he needed some kind of edge to keep Dooku from leaving. He just hoped that he didn't wind up cutting off one of his own limbs by accident or else Rreya would never let him forget it.

Without waiting for a verbal reply from the Count, he moved in quickly, using the Force to bring forth every memory he had about the days when he learned how to use the weapon in his hands. Every time that Dooku managed to block one of the blades, he immediately brought the other blade to bear from the opposite direction. Add to that the fact that he was able to put more power behind his blows than with a conventional lightsaber and he could see signs of strain forming on his adversary's face. It was after his first mistake, a horizontal slash with too much power behind it, that he was forced to use the defensive attributes of a dual bladed lightsaber. Sadly, the strengths of Makashi quickly began to outshine his own prowess with a lightsaber, forcing him to take steps backwards. In the end, it was with a single move that he was defeated when Dooku cut through the center of his lightsaber's handle, piercing the energy cell. It exploded in his face, forcing him to close his eyes and look away in order to protect his face from the flying fragments of metal. This was all the opening the Count needed to fire Force Lightning from his hands and send him into the exact same wall as Rreya before letting him fall to the ground.

Falling to the ground, his entire body was in pain and he could tell that his hands had been seriously cut up and burned by the detonation of his lighsaber's energy cell. With lingering pain from the lightning and his hands too injured, he had no hope to even hold a weapon, much less wield it.

Good thing he heard the familiar sound of wood on stone because, unless he missed his guess, Dooku had one final obstacle to get by before he could leave. With this in mind, he began to direct his efforts towards something a little more productive than movement.

He began to draw up his explanation to the Jedi High Council about why he'd borrowed a ship, disobeyed orders and took on a Sith with only another Padawan as backup.

This was going to take a while.

&

_**Coruscant, High Council Chambers, Four Days Later, Sunset, Yoda's P.O.V**_

"The entirety of what happened, this is?" Yoda asked the humbled young Padawan before him.

"It is, Master Yoda. I have left nothing out at all." Xander replied with his eyes on the floor and his arms at his side.

Indeed the Learner had been most thorough in his debriefing, often going into more detail than would usually be required, and this by itself was encouraging. Too few Jedi who found themselves in this much trouble divulged everything but, rather, most tried instead to either justify their actions or divert the blame towards someone else. Yet, while Xander stood ready to accept whatever punishment he and Master Windu saw fit to hand down, he sensed that the Padawan would still have gone on his mission, even knowing the consequences. Indeed, while not authorized, the mission to Ord Mantell and then to Tattoine had proved to be vital to the struggle against the newly returned Sith. Greatly troubled he was at the news that someone had hired Aurra Sing to arrange the death of Shmi Skywalker. If events had transpired they were meant to, Anakin Skywalker would have arrived on his homeworld too late to save his mother. Her death could very well have planted the seed of the Dark Side within the Chosen One's heart, possibly leading to disaster for all in the future. While he was not as certain about the ancient prophecy as the others, he could not discount the fact that Obi-wan's apprentice was strong in the Force. Stronger than, perhaps, nearly any other member in the Order. If he had fallen to the Dark Side, few could have stood against him alone and, if the Sith Lord called Sidious were at his side, no single Jedi could emerge victorious.

Nevertheless, he could not allow Padawan Xander to escape the consequences of his actions or others in the Order might follow his lead.

"While good you did on your journey, authorize it the High Council did not!" He scolded, not giving an inch of leniency, "Young you still are. If listened to your elders you had, no loss of life there could have been."

He fell silent at this and allowed his words to sink into the Padawan's mind.

"By the Code of the Jedi, serious violations you have committed." He said keeping a firm tone in his voice, "If two years ago this was, expulsion from the Order you would receive."

Xander's face became a mask of confusion at the phrasing of his words as he knew the Padawan would be but turned to Master Windu to conclude matters.

"We have decided that, in light of the current crisis with the Separatists, we cannot afford to lose a Force sensitive with your potential." Master Windu said before a look of great authority formed on his face, "Nevertheless, we cannot allow your actions to happen again. Therefore, it is the decision of the High Council that you be assigned to a single Master now so that your training can become more focused and your lessons better learned."

The curiosity concerning the identity of the one who would become his new Master was clear.

"Your new Master shall be The Dark Woman. She has dealt with difficult Padawans before and I believe her to be a good match for you." Windu said, revealing the name of the Jedi Master who would Xander under her wing, "The skills you exhibited to attempt to infiltrate Ord Mantell make you suitable to work with her behind the scenes as a spy. As soon as your wounds have finished healing, you will report to her so that she can resume your training."

"Yes, Master." Xander said, looking and sounding a little bit wary of being assigned to a Master with the reputation the Dark Woman had.

"You are dismissed." Windu said and, a few minutes later, the only people that were still in the room were himself, Master Windu and Obi-wan Kenobi.

For a time, none of them said anything but, in the end, it was the teacher of Anakin Skywalker who spoke.

"Do you believe what Dooku said about Sidious controlling the senate?" Kenobi asked in an effort to change the topic to different matters, "It doesn't feel right."

"Joined the Dark Side, Dooku has. Lies, deceit, creating mistrust are his ways now." He pointed out so as to prevent Obi-Wan from falling for a potential trap.

However the truth of the matter was that he himself was privately considering the possibility that the Sith Lord known as Sidious might be closer than any suspected. Much like he suspected Padawan Xander spent his time doing, he too had attempted to deduce the nature of newly returned Sith. Yet, for all his experience and all his wisdom, he could not find the one fact that would allow the full truth to be revealed to him. When added to the diminished ability to use the Force that all Jedi were beginning to take notice of, he began to show true concern for the future.

"Nevertheless, I think we should keep a closer eye on the Senate." Master Windu said, showing that he too was concerned about their inability to discern the identity of Sidious.

"I agree." He said with no further elaboration needed.

"Where is your apprentice?" Windu asked Obi-wan with polite curiosity.

"On his way to Naboo, escorting the senator home." Kenobi replied before gazing out at the setting sun, "I have to admit that without the clones it would not have been a victory."

"Victory? Victory, you say?" He asked rhetorically with disappointment at how short term young Jedi's thoughts were, "Master Obi-Wan! Not victory. The shroud of the Dark Side has fallen. Begun the Clone War **has**."

&

Well folks that's the end of this fanfic but not the end of the adventures that'll take place in this universe. There will be a drabble collection focusing on Xander's adventures during the Clone Wars (still open to suggestions on that front) and then there will be a sequel based on Episode Three. Fair warning though that it'll take awhile before the sequel comes out and the drabbles will only pop up when I need a respite from the main fanfics that I'll be working on. As I have mentioned previously and in my section of I have several in progress fanfics that I need to complete before I even consider starting new ones. I am sorry if this disappoints some of you but I need to complete those in progress fanfics as quickly as I can before I start anything else or they'll never get done.


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